Disease knowledge and attitudes during the COVID-19 epidemic among international migrants in China: a national cross-sectional study.
Background: There are more than 258 million international migrants worldwide and the majority reside in countries with ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic outbreaks. International migrants may not receive adequate and timely disease information during epidemics, increasing vulnerability to disease transmission. This is one of very limited studies focusing on international migrants' COVID-19 prevention knowledge and attitudes during the epidemic. Methods: A national cross-sectional online survey was conducted across 100 cities and 26 regions in China from February 17 and March 1, 2020. The sample included 1,426 international migrants representing 77 countries and 6 continents. Knowledge was defined as the number of correct responses to questions about COVID-19. Attitudes included worries, expectations, and general preparedness. Multivariable ordinal logistic regressions evaluated correlates of knowledge and attitudes including information channels and preferences, and trust in Chinese institutions and groups. Results: Just half of the sample, 730/1426 (51.2%) had a good level of knowledge and 656/1426 (46.0%) had a positive attitude towards the COVID-19 epidemic. Knowledge was associated with receiving information through social media (aOR: 2.0, 95%CI: 1.2-3.2), the Internet (aOR: 1.4, 95%CI: 1.2-1.8), the community (aOR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.2-1.8), and encountering language barriers when receiving medical services (aOR: 0.8, 95%CI: 0.7-1.0). Positive attitude was associated with the level of trust in various Chinese institutions and groups. Conclusions: Roughly half of the sample reported inadequate knowledge and poor attitudes toward prevention and control of COVID-19. Tailored public health campaigns are needed to ensure that international migrants possess adequate knowledge to protect their health during future epidemics and disasters.
['Wang|Cheng|C|', 'Tian|Qi|Q|', 'Zhao|Peizhen|P|', 'Xiong|Mingzhou|M|', 'Latkin|Carl A|CA|', 'Gan|Yiqun|Y|', 'Hall|Brian J|BJ|', 'Yang|Bin|B|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D001290:Attitude D000073640:Betacoronavirus D000086382:COVID-19 D002681:China D018352:Coronavirus Infections D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants D005006:Ethnicity D005260:Female D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice D006801:Humans D038622:Internationality D020407:Internet D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D015999:Multivariate Analysis D058873:Pandemics D010865:Pilot Projects D011024:Pneumonia, Viral D000086402:SARS-CoV-2 D012923:Social Class D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D035502:Trust D055815:Young Adult
knowledge attitude COVID-19 international migrants