Abstract

Background: The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unprecedented crisis. It is an infectious disease caused by a new variant of the Coronaviridae family. Saudi Arabia has taken stringent precautionary measures, especially toward high-risk groups. This study aimed to assess awareness, knowledge, and behavior toward COVID-19 among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 385 participants via an online questionnaire from April 14 to May 6, 2021, in Saudi Arabia. All data analyses were carried out using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences version 26.
Results: The majority of participants have high awareness {mean score 19.5 [standard deviation (SD) = 2.78] out of 23 points} and moderate behavior [mean score 8.90 (SD = 2.24) out of 13 points]. The results showed that females have higher awareness (19.7 ± 2.53) and behavior (9.20 ± 2.17) than males (19.3±3.17) (8.37 ± 2.28). The participants at a bachelor’s level or higher had higher awareness (19.6 ± 2.35) and moderate behavior (8.85 ± 2.19). Health workers also had higher awareness (20.1 ± 2.06) and moderate behavior (7.90 ± 2.40). Also, participants between 40 and 59 years of age had higher awareness (19.7 ± 2.87) and behavior (9.02 ± 2.23) compared to others.
Conclusion: The majority of participants had good knowledge and awareness, which were not necessarily reflected in their behavior. We support the government’s efforts in educating the population, especially chronic- disease patients, about the importance of precautionary measures and the vaccine. All efforts should focus on behavioral changes that matter the most.

Key words: COVID-19, chronic-disease patients, awareness, knowledge, behavior, Saudi Arabia, diabetic patients, DM, precautionary measures