A study on knowledge, awareness and the psychological impact of covid-19 in West Bengal

Background: The present scenario all over the globe involves dealing with COVID-19 and the pandemic situation. Despite tremendous efforts, the future of this pandemic is still unknown. Aim: The present study was conducted to assess the awareness levels about COVID-19 and the psychological impact it has had on the lives of the residents of West Bengal. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional analytical survey was conducted across the region of West Bengal. Methodology: During the tenure of April to November, 2020, the sample comprising of 784 (N = 784) participants were administered a self-designed questionnaire across online medium. The question was divided into four parts which included questions related to basic awareness levels people have about the disease and also the psychological impact the disease has had on their lives. Statistical Analysis: Analysis of the data was done using SPSS version 23.0 using chi-square and descriptive statistics. Results: Overall, the results revealed that 82.3% of the respondents were aware of the fact that COVID-19 is a viral disease. 93.7% of the respondents were aware of the basic symptoms of the disease. Around 39.8% of the respondents were not sure about how they would cope with the pandemic. Conclusion: Majority of the participants were aware about COVID-19. Future implications of the study include widening the avenues of health education and training programmes to include measures for people to be able to handle the ongoing crisis.