Knowledge, attitude, practices, and behavior regarding COVID-19 among serving personnel of a large military garrison: a quick online cross-sectional survey

Background There is a deluge of information available and circulated about COVID-19, during the ongoing course of the pandemic This study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices, and behavior regarding COVID-19 among serving soldiers Methods A quick cross-sectional online survey was conducted using a web portal and social media platform, wherein a pretested questionnaire was uploaded Responses were collected for 3 days Data were analyzed using Epi Info software Results A total of 1231 serving personnel participated in the survey, 133 (10 80%) officers, 144 (11 69%) Junior Commissioned Officers, and 954 (77 49%) Other Ranks The prevalence of correct knowledge was more than 80% (range 81 47–88 13) except 29 97% regarding transmission by food and water A statistically significant association (all P values < 0 05) was found with increasing age and education Social distancing was an effective method as per 93 54%, and 81 38% thought that the response measures were adequate Handwashing was the only practice which demonstrated a statistically significant association across change in all 3, i e age (P = 0 001), education (P = 0 005) and rank (P = 0 022) In the affective domain, increased perception of anxiousness, worriedness, and not feeling relaxed was found in the responses Conclusion Levels of knowledge, positive attitude, and practice are high among serving soldiers, however feeling of anxiousness and worry prevail Aggressive, continuous, relevant target population-oriented Information Education and Communication is the need of the hour, with structured and programmed interventions for positive mental health during course of the pandemic and this has been implemented in our area