Abstract
Background: In 2019 the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) started in the
city of Wuhan, in the Republic of China. The outbreak quicky turned into a worldwide pandemic, which
challenged global healthcare systems. Strides have been made towards fighting the outbreak; however, the
outcome of these attempts is reliant on societal behaviour. Obedience of members of the public to
preventive and precautionary measures is important as it relates to COVID-19 prevention. The knowledge,
attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 preventive and precautionary measures remain vital in
managing the continued spread of the disease. To date, there only exists a small number of KAP COVID-
19 studies in South Africa. None of these studies have evaluated KAP regarding COVID-19 prevention
among staff members at the University of Johannesburg as well as factors influencing KAP.
Objective: As such, this study aimed to identify the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding
COVID-19 prevention among staff members at the University of Johannesburg to determine gaps in uptake
of preventative measures.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional analysis involving 104 non-probability convenience sampled
University of Johannesburg employees was conducted. Participants were given a self-administered webbased
questionnaire survey to gauge the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19
prevention. Data management and analysis were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences
(SPSS) version 28. Additionally, the PROCESS model 6 macro with 1000 bootstrap samples for SPSS
version 28 was used to calculate the indirect effects of knowledge on practices, interceded by attitudes.
Results: The sample size for this study was 456 and from this, the response rate was 25%. Approximately
34.6% of the participants were aged between 35 - 44 years. Most of the respondents were male (65.4%).
Additionally, 63.5% of the respondents were academic staff members. Most of the study participants
responded correctly to approximately eight of the ten knowledge items (Mean= 8.16, SD = 1.69).
Respondents seemed to be knowledgeable about the primary clinical indications of COVID-19 (94.2%
answered correctly) as well as the transmission mode of the virus through respiratory droplets of infected
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people (92.5% answered correctly). The highest misconception was detected in a knowledge item related
to children and young adults taking preventative measures against COVID-19 infection. For this question,
15.4% correctly answered the statement was false, 68.3% answered true, and 21.3% said they did not know.
Most of the respondents (83.7%) replied that wearing a general medical mask aids in the prevention of
COVID-19 infection.
The level of knowledge varied only by employment type. Academic staff (β = 0.113, p < 0.009) exhibited
higher levels of knowledge. The questionnaire also evaluated the level of satisfaction that each participant
had with the COVID-19 measures undertaken by the institution. The satisfaction scores varied by age and
employment type. Respondents between the ages of 34 – 44 years (β = 0.222, p < 0.025) had higher
satisfaction scores and academic staff (β = -0.320, p < 0.011) had lower to moderate satisfaction scores.
Practice scores also varied by gender and age. Respondents between the ages of 34 – 44 years (β = 0.221,
p < 0.023) had higher practice scores. Likewise, males (β = -0.320, p < 0.011) demonstrated higher practice
scores. Knowledge directly affected the levels of perceived susceptibility of COVID-19 (attitudes) as well
as certain practices (e.g., avoiding crowded spaces). There was a significant weak positive correlation
between total satisfaction and practices (r =0.195, p = 0.047). The indirect effect of knowledge on practices,
through attitude mediation, was considered statistically insignificant. Thus, there is insufficient evidence to
demonstrate that knowledge related to COVID‐19 infection is associated with people's preventative
practices, independent of its link to attitude.
Conclusion: Overall, this study revealed that academic staff had higher levels of knowledge, attitudes and
practices towards COVID-19 infection as compared to both administrative and support staff. There were
however some identified knowledge gaps, practices, and inconsistencies. To improve upon preventive
behaviours among staff at the University of Johannesburg, institutional policymakers must promote
knowledge and precautionary practices. Future interventions should also be aimed at filling the gap of KAP
toward COVID-19 among different age and employee groups.
Keywords: COVID-19, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Occupational Health and Safety, University of
Johannesburg.