Attitude and Adherence to COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) among Malaysians

Introduction: The COVID-19 cases in Malaysia increased dramatically and every individual must comply with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to prevent the high burden on health facilities. Since it has no effective treatment; nonetheless, early recognition of the disease and applying prevention strategies will help to mitigate the virus propagation. This study aimed to determine the attitude and adherence of COVID SOPs among Malaysians.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted through an online and a total of 206 participants from different states of Malaysia took part in this survey by convenience sampling method. Those who scored ≥ 80% were considered as having a favourable attitude and good adherence to COVID SOPs. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression were applied to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents, attitude and adherence of COVID SOPs. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: More than two thirds of the respondents had favourable attitude (70.9%; 95% CI: 64.7%, 77.1%) and good adherence to SOP (69.4%; 95% CI: 63.1%, 75.5%). A compliance of < 60% .with SOP measures like carrying hand sanitizers, avoiding visiting the crowded places and red zone areas were common among the respondents. The finding of this study showed that gender has a significant association with attitude (p=0.002).Females were three times more likely to have a positive attitude than males.

Conclusion: The Malaysian population studied exhibited a good knowledge, attitude and practice with regard to COVID 19 SOP’s. Self-regulation is notably higher among the Malaysian population however, observing total compliance will require enforcement by the authorities.