Prevention Practice and Associated Factors of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak among Educated Ethiopians: An online Based Cross-sectional Survey

Background: An acute respiratory disease, known as the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was identified in the late 2019. As launched by World Health Organization, it is now a pandemic problem. So far there is no any vaccine or drug for treatment to this disease. The world including Ethiopia have been relying on practicing different preventive measures. As of 17-Apr-2020, the Ethiopian health minister reported 96 confirmed cases and 3 deaths of COVID-19 from the total of 6231 laboratory tests conducted. The mainstay of approach to avoid COVID-19 is applying preventive measures. Therefore, the current survey aimed to assess self-reported measures of prevention practice and associated factors regarding COVID-19 among educated Ethiopians in the early stage of this outbreak.Methods: An online based cross-sectional study was conducted to collect information from educated Ethiopians during the early stage of the outbreak from March 25 to April 4, 2020. Electronic based questionnaire developed by reviewing literature and revising from ''COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring comprised monitoring knowledge, risk perceptions, preventive behaviors, and public trust in the current coronavirus outbreak. Data were analyzed using SPSS-25. Results were presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. To determine predictor variables for preventive practice, a binary logistic regression model was fitted. Variables with a p-value < 0.05 in the final model were declared as predictors.Results: Five-hundred and twenty-eight Ethiopians participated in this study of which 80.7% were males. The mean age of study participants was 33.2 (±7.4) years. Above one-third (34.7%) of the participants had a health-related profession. Majority (79.7%) of the respondents attended degree and above education. Overall, above half (55.9%) of the study participants had good knowledge about COVID-19. About 55.3% and 57.8% had good knowledge regarding symptoms and prevention methods of COVID-19, respectively. Overall, above half (54%) of the respondents had good COVID-19 preventive practice. Being female [Adjusted Odds Ratio (Adjusted Odds Ratio): 2.00; 95%CI (1.14, 3.50)], higher age (aged 33-37 years [AOR: 1.98; 95%CI (1.01, 3.87)] and 38-72 years [AOR: 2.60; 95%CI (1.33, 5.10)]), good knowledge of symptoms [AOR: 2.82; 95%CI (1.85, 4.31)], good knowledge of prevention methods [AOR: 4.55; 95%CI (2.92, 7.10)], having sufficient knowhow to protect self [AOR: 1.83; 95%CI (1.14, 2.96)] and belief of presence of re-infection [AOR: 1.86; 95%CI (1.03, 3.38)] were significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive practices.Conclusion: The COVID-19 preventive practice is not sufficiently satisfactory among educated Ethiopians. Females, those with advanced age, those who believes presence of re-infection by COVID-19, those with good knowledge of symptoms, prevention methods, and self-protective knowhow had better preventive practice. Extensive public awareness raising focusing on young population and males is essential to fight further spread of the virus.