The Relationship Between COVID-19 Knowledge Levels and Practice with PublicStigma in Indonesian Community

Abstract

Introduction:The spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently being a public health issue threatening the world.This pandemic has been affecting many aspects of life, including the emergence of panic buying behavior and social stigma against COVID-19 in Indonesia community. These ongoing behaviors are believed to be affected by the level of  public knowledge in understanding COVID-19.

Aim: To determinethe relationship between knowledge and practice levels of COVID-19 with public stigma in Indonesian community.

Methods:This research used cross-sectional epidemiological study. The research was carried out from March to June 2020.The total sample were 2.240 Indonesian people that met the inclusion criteria and taken using the purposive sampling method. Data collection was taken from thequestionnaire which consisted of opinion polls regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and stigma of the community about COVID-19. Data analysis was carried out using univariate, bivariate data analysis.

Results: There were significant relationship between the level of knowledge to the attitudes of the community  (p=0.0001) and the level of knowledge to the stigma of society (p=0.001). There was no significant relationship between attitudes and the stigma of the community (p=0.923).

Conclusions: The level of knowledge and public stigma about COVID-19 in Indonesian communitywas good. This study showed a significant relationship between the knowledge level and practice of COVID-19 with public stigma in Indonesian community.