ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PERCEIVED ANXIETY TOWARDS COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN OYO WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Health Communication educates people about specific health issues as health is important in the development of any nation as it takes a healthy person to attend to duties in every society. This study looked at knowledge, attitude and perceived anxiety towards Covid-19 in Oyo West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria. The general objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perceived anxiety towards Covid-19 in Nigeria using Oyo West Local Government area of Oyo State. The study was anchored on Attitude Change Theory, Behaviour Theory and Psychodynamic Model. The descriptive survey design, through the use of questionnaire, was adopted while 359 respondents from Oyo West Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria were randomly sampled. The sampling technique used for this study is the multi-stage sampling. Data were analysed with simple descriptive statistics of frequency count and percentage for the five research questions. The study found out that the respondents were aware of Covid-19 and its implications while most of them got to know about Covid-19 through the social media. The study established that respondents have adequate knowledge and right attitude towards Covid-19 and at the same they have anxiety as they got scared whenever they saw the Covid-19 updates from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). They led to more anxieties towards Covid-19. The study concluded that the health sector had tried to curtail the spread of Covid-19, while Nigerians have judiciously observed the guidelines by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria. This study recommends that while NCDC was being factual about Covid-19 updates, reporters should be monitored on being mild yet positive about their choice of reportage in order to mitigate the level of anxiety such reports might generate among the populace.