Assessment of knowledge and self-preventive behaviors for COVID-19 among migrant workers in urban areas.

Abstract

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) among migrant workers in urban areas has emphasized the study of knowledge and self-preventive behaviors on COVID-19 among this group of population. This study is a survey aiming to assess the knowledge and preventive behaviors among migrant workers in Bangkok, Thailand. The participants including those from Myanmar, Cambodia, or Laos who were able to listen or read in their language and willing to complete the questionnaires were purposively sampled.

Results: A total of 333 participants completed the questionnaires. The majority were males 60.7%, with 57.4% from the age group of 26-35 years old. The participants consisted primarily of Myanmar (94.6%). About 55.0% were from primary school education background and 86.8% were employed in companies/factories. About 60.7% visited the hospital for treatment when fallen sick, followed by purchasing medication on their own (28.8%). Around half of the participants (54.1%) had 2 people in the household with 24.0% having more than two people in the household. 41.14% received COVID-19 news from Facebook social platform. Most participants (74.8%) have been tested for COVID-19, with 92.77% of those tested showing negative results. Knowledge of COVID-19 disease was found to be at good level (more than 80% correct). About 78.1% of participants were found to have good self-preventive behaviors, followed by 18.0% had moderate level. Behaviors where most participants reported complying to were using tissue or mask wearing when coughing or sneezing every time (mean = 2.66), followed by washing hands with soap or alcohol every time (mean = 2.59). The behavior least practiced was following the news on COVID-19 situation through media regularly. The correlation between knowledge of COVID-19 and self-protective behaviors was found to be statistically related (p<.001).