Knowledge, Perception and Attitude of Patients at CNHU-HKM of Cotonou About COVID-19

COVID-19 has been noticed in Benin since March 2020. Various measures have been put in place to curb the epidemic. The objective of the study is to evaluate the knowledge and perception of patients at the CNHU-HKM about COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical purposes. Data were collected from July 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021. The participants were included in the outpatient clinic of the specialized medical services of the CNHU-HKM. They answered to questions related to their knowledge and perception about COVID-19. Data analysis was done with R 4.1.0 software. A total of 353 respondents were included in the study. The sex ratio was 0.81. The mean age was 48.9±16.8 [10; 92] years. The residence was in urban places for 91.5% of them. The level of education was at least high school in 82.2% of the cases. The agent responsible for COVID-19 and the mode of transmission were not known, respectively, by 31.7% and 89.2% of the participants. Barrier measures were known by 46.2%, while clinical manifestations were known by 89.0%. Only the level of education was associated with knowledge of COVID-19 (p<0.001). Findings revealed that good knowledge of the pandemic was related to the level of education. A readjustment of communication strategies towards less educated groups would be recommended.