Knowledge and practices regarding Covid-19 prevention among students of selected madrasas in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Abstract

The adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices can be influenced by the level of knowledge regarding prevention practices. This study assessed the knowledge and practices of COVID-19 prevention among Madrasa students in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted using face to face structured questionnaire that collected responses from 917 Madrasa students who attended six different Madrasas in six different unions of two upazilas of Cox’s Bazar District. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and interviewed after acquiring informed consents and assents. Level of knowledge and practices were scored using frequencies (percentages) and chi-square test was performed in STATA® 17. Logistic regressions were used to find associations between knowledge and practices and the demographics of the study population. Findings Among 917 students, 73.72% were females and 26.28% were males from Classes 6-9 with secondary education. Overall, it was found that students with inadequate knowledge of COVID-19 prevention was at 47.33% when compared to them having adequate practices of COVID-19 prevention which was 65.98%. The most significant finding was class 9 having adequate practices of COVID-19 prevention in both the adjusted (1.7) and unadjusted (2.08) odds ratios with less than 0.05 p-values. Handwashing and wearing of facemasks were common among them. There was no statistical difference between males and females. However, statistically significant differences were found in knowledge and practice levels relating to their different Madrasas and upazilas with weak associations. Conclusion This study showed inadequate knowledge for the COVID-19 preventive measures among both male and female students in the Madrasa institutions studied. Positively, they had adequate practices of COVID-19 prevention. Their adherence to COVID-19 practices may depend on their level of knowledge of prevention and some other factors worth studying in future.