Srihari Dhandapani

Background: Community health workers (CHW) are at the frontline facing the pandemic. Adequate awareness, knowledge and practice of preventive measures are of the utmost importance to sensitize the community and prevent spread of infection. The objective of our study was to assess the awareness, knowledge, and practices regarding COVID-19 infection among CHWs of four primary health care centers in Belagavi district, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among CHWs working under 4 primary health centres. Data were collected from May 2020 to June 2020. Score of 1 was given to correct responses of 12 select questions taken from the awareness, knowledge, and practice sections. A combined score of ? 8 was considered satisfactory. Results: Among 341 participants (response rate: 96%), mean age was 40.1 ± 8.2 years and 324 (95.01%) were female. Majority had a minimum of secondary education (84.46%). Source of information for majority were through mobile phones and television (81.82%). 165 (47.21%) knew the mode of transmission of COVID-19. Conclusion: The awareness, knowledge and practice among CHWs were adequate. Periodic training programs and support from administrative authorities will motivate them to continue taking appropriate precautions. Keywords: Awareness, Practice, COVID- 19, Community health workers.