Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) instrument for coping with epidemics and pandemics

Abstract

The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases involve undeniable participation by the population, and control of their spread continues to be an urgent need in the modern world. The investigation of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) is a strategy that can be used in a defined population to identify their perception of the health-disease process and willingness to take on new attitudes. The objective of this work was to develop and validate the KAP instrument for coping with epidemics and pandemics in distance education university students. These university students from all regions in the country answered the online questionnaire. Validation was attested through the content validity and internal structure of the instrument. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out, respectively, using the KaiserGuttman criterion and Cronbach’s alpha and average variance extracted measurements. The adjustment of the factorial structure was evaluated using the chi-square test and the Tucker-Lewis and comparative fit. The developed KAP instrument presents evidence of validity and reliability. Information collected through the validated KAP instrument can help in the development of more effective health policies if based on the prominent characteristics of a population in a given context.