Title: Public knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19

Abstract

To control the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia, the government implemented rules such as clean and healthy living behavior by all components of public, isolation, and early detection. Community knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 play an important role in determining the readiness of the community in accepting policies in the form of behavior change from the health authority. This study aims to determine the KAP toward COVID-19 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. A cross-sectional online survey of 155 householders was conducted between 04 May 2020 and 18 May 2020. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and one way analysis of variance were conducted. The survey instrument was adapted from the Guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health in COVID-19 Prevention at the Village level. This research shows that the Indonesian public has good knowledge to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Most have a positive attitude towards the government in handling the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia and most have shown good practice to prevent transmission and increase immunity. However, if the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the public towards the dangers of COVID-19 are not comprehensive, the risk of new cases and the speed of transmission will still arise. Therefore, consistent information and education from the health authorities and/or government to the community is the key to controlling COVID-19 transmission. Besides, public categories based on demographic characteristics need to be identified so that information and education are right on target.