Volume 24, Issue 106, November - December, 2020

Comparative analysis on predictors of preventive health behaviors related to COVID-19: An analysis of situation in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

Sehar-un-Nisa Hassan¹, Asma Ayyed AL-Shammary², Aqeela Zahra^3♦, Rania Fathy⁴, Ahmed Abdelmaksud Mohammed Ahmed⁵

¹Assistant Professor, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, University of Ha'il, Ha'il-81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Email: s.nisa@uoh.edu.sa
²Assistant Professor, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, College of Science, University of Ha'il, Ha'il-81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: as.alshammari@uoh.edu.sa
³Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ha'il, Ha'il-81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Email: a.zahra@uoh.edu.sa
⁴Lecturer, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Ha'il, Ha'il-81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Email: rfathy79@gmail.com
⁵Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Ha'il, Ha'il-81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Email: aa.mohammed@uoh.edu.sa

^♦Corresponding author
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ha'il, Ha'il-81451, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Email: a.zahra@uoh.edu.sa

ABSTRACT

Background: Various countries of the world implemented unprecedented measures from January-May 2020 to control the rapid spread of COVID-19 virus. This paper aims at analysis of people’s risk perceptions, knowledge and preventive health behaviors as well as levels of satisfaction with efficiency of preventive measures implemented in the context of COVID-19 pandemic across two countries. Methods: An online survey to collect data from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Pakistan during the months of April- May 2020. Analysis focused on cross-country comparison in people’s risk perceptions, knowledge, beliefs, adherence to preventive health behaviors and levels of satisfaction with efficiency of preventive measures in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Linear regression model was applied to identify the significant predictors of preventive health behaviors. Results: The sample comprised of 421 participants, between the age of 18 to 70 years; (47%) reside in KSA and (53%) in Pakistan. In total sample (45%) perceived themselves at ‘high risk’ for COVID-19. Saudi nationals reported significantly higher levels of fear (p<.001). Higher proportion of male participants in this sample from KSA lacked accurate knowledge about symptoms and causes of the COVID-19 virus (p<.001). Those living in Pakistan more likely to ‘use face mask when going outside’ (p<.001) and those residing in KSA more likely to ‘disinfect the surfaces regularly at house’ (p<.01). Knowledge about symptoms (p<.001) and preventive measures (p<.05) increase the likelihood of use of facemask. Respondents from Pakistan were less satisfied with efficiency of preventive measures implemented in various settings (p<.001). Conclusions: The current study findings urge to improve accuracy of people’s knowledge about symptoms and causes of COVID-19 in KSA. There is need for stringent measures at all levels to enhance the levels of satisfaction with efficiency of preventive measures in Pakistan.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge, practice, preventive measures, health behavior, disease perception

Medical Science, 2020, 24(106), 4622-4631

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