COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of its Knowledge and Risk Perception among Nigerians

Background: The effect of the current COVID-19 pandemic on economies and health systems has been profound. Knowledge of the virus continues to evolve over time. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and the factors associated with the perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 infection during the pandemic.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in different parts of Nigeria which were stratified into east, north, and west. A self-administered questionnaire that contained questions related to socio-demographics, medical history, knowledge of COVID-19 (knowledge of viral transmission and infection symptoms), and risk perception of contracting COVID-19 among consenting individuals. The information was extracted and analysed electronically, descriptive variables were summarized in simple proportions and a chi-square test was used to test for association between dependent and non-dependent variables. The level of significance was set at p-value <0.05.

Results: The study had 350 participants with 189 (52.8%) females while almost 50% (171) were aged less than 30 Years. Over 90% of participants had good knowledge of viral transmission while 37.7% and 47.2% respectively had good symptom and risk perception scores. The socio-demographic factors – education and geographical location had an association with risk perception (p = 0.02 and 0.04 respectively).

Conclusion: Participants had good knowledge of viral transmission but a poor symptom and risk perception scores. This could have implications for their health habits. However, proper education remains the most viable tool for bridging the existing gaps.