Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards COVID 19 pandemic among homeless street young adults in Lusaka, Zambia – A Mixed Methods Approach

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 among homeless street young adults in Lusaka district, Zambia. Methods A total of 89 young street adults aged between 16-35 years were sampled. A concurrent mixed methods approach was used, Structured questionnaires and focused group discussion, to achieve the objectives. STATA 13 was used to produce Descriptive statistics while thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Results Majority of the survey participants were male 67(78%), 55(62%) were single while 53(59%) had attained a Primary School Education. The majority of the participants received the COVID-19 information through the radio (61%). Only 44 (49%)% had adequate knowledge on Covid-19 of whom 70 (78.6%) had a positive attitude towards COVID-19. However, the 65(73%) had a low risk perception of contracting the disease. Further, 66 (74.2%) had a positive attitude towards the effectiveness of precautionary behaviors and measures. The finding also revealed that only 3(3.3%) had good practice towards the Covid-19 preventative measures overall with (SD:0). Conclusion Knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 were quite high among homeless street adults. However, their good practices were alarmingly low. Specific strategies for them being a vulnerable group are required.