Abstract:
Introduction: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is an important and
urgent threat to global health. Public awareness on COVID-19 and its prevention is one of the feasible
strategies to prevent the spreading of the disease.
Objective: To assess the awareness towards COVID-19 emergence and the preventive strategies practiced
during the COVID-19 pandemic among permanent employees in Devinuwara, Malimbada, Matara and
Thihagoda Divisional Secretariats in Matara district, Sri Lanka.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over a one-year period from December 2021,
among 319 participants selected using the systematic sampling technique. Data were collected using pretested and validated interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential analyses were
performed using SPSS version 26.0, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.
Results: Most of the participants (80%) were females (79.6%) and 85% of them were married. Of the
participants, 85% showed a high awareness towards COVID-19. The Mean awareness score was
78.14±7.98. There were significant associations between gender, age, and civil status with the level of
awareness towards COVID-19 emergence (p<0.05). Females (78.98 ±7.77) had a higher mean awareness
score than males (74.88 ±8.05) (Independent sample t-test). Nearly 92% of the participants reported good
adherence to preventive strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic with a mean practice score of
86.22±8.64. There were significant associations between gender, age, and civil status with the mean
practice scores towards COVID-19 emergence (p<0.05). Forgetfulness, busyness, and lack of resources
were identified as factors contributing to poor hygiene practices.
Conclusion: Even though a high level of awareness towards COVID-19 and favorable adherence to
preventive strategies among participants have been observed in the study, there were few factors associated
with poor hygienic practices. Relevant authorities need to address these gaps by providing health education
and continuous awareness creation.
