CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter comprises of the presentation, analysis and discussion of the data

collected by the researchers.

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of age, civil status, educational

attainment, income level, and household.

Table 1 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of the profile

variables as to age, civil status, educational attainment, income level, and

household.

Table 1.1

Frequency and Percentage Distribution Table of the Study Participants’ Profile as to

Age

a. Age
Frequency Percentage
21-25 10 25%
26-30 7 17.5%
31-35 6 15%
36-40 13 32.5%
41-43 4 10%
TOTAL 40 100%
 As shown in table 1.1, there are 25% of study participants from ages

21-25, followed by 17.5% from ages 26-30, 15% from ages 31-35, 32.5%

from ages 36-40, and 10% from ages 41-43. The behavioral responses to

COVID-19 varied by age, and the changes by age over time were

dependent on the types of behaviors. When the pandemic first spread out,

older people were no different than younger people in terms of adopting

protective personal habits. As the pandemic advanced, older people soon

began to participate in COVID-19 infection prevention behaviors. This

suggests that older people would be more cautious and adhere to

suggested health practices. Other research found that in the COVID-19

pandemic scenario, older people were more likely to participate in personal

safe habits, extending previous experience. Older people may have realized

that they are more vulnerable to the virus's negative effects and have felt a

greater need to practice better hygiene, quarantine, and social distancing.

This knowledge may have been rapidly absorbed after the pandemic began,

and daily rises in infections and deaths were registered, allowing for a large

part of the behavioral response to be observed. (Kim & Crimmins, 2020).

This is affirmed by the results of this study, which indicate that majority

(32.5%) of the study participants belong to the age group of 36-40 years

old.
Table 1.2

Frequency and Percentage Distribution Table of the Study Participants’ Profile as to

Civil Status

b. Civil Status
Frequency Percentage
Single 16 40%
Married 20 50%
Widower 4 10%
TOTAL 40 100%

As shown in table 1.2, there are 40% of study participants who are Single, followed

by 50% who are Married, and 10% who are Widower. The aim of understanding the

fundamentals of COVID-19 prevention and control is implementation in practice, which

means being able to properly take preventive steps, control the source of infection, cut

off the transmission path, and protect vulnerable groups. Awareness, attitude, profession,

civil status, education level, and place of residence were the key factors influencing the

public's protective conduct, according to the results of multiple linear regression analysis.

Marital/civil status had an impact on KAP. Unmarried, divorced, or widowed people had a

greater grasp of knowledge, more involved protective attitudes, and higher adherence

rates to protective behaviors than married people. This may be because, in addition to

self-defense, married people have the duty of caring for their families. As a result, they
are more likely to think about security, have a more optimistic outlook, and take effective

preventive measures (Gao et al., 2020). This is proven by the results of this study, which

indicate that majority (50%) of the study participants are Married.

Table 1.3

Frequency and Percentage Distribution Table of the Study Participants’ Profile

as to Educational Attainment

c. Educational Attainment

Frequency Percentage
Elementary 10 25%
High School 14 35%
College 16 40%
TOTAL 40 100%

As shown in table 1.3, there are 25% of the respondents who was able to

graduate from elementary, 35% of the study participants are those who graduated

from high school, leaving the remaining 40% those individuals who was able to

finish college. People who are able to graduate in higher forms of education tend to

be more knowledgeable in such topics such as health. They are able to take note of

the proper precautionary actions regarding their health thus making them less

susceptible to the virus. This can be seen on a study done by Lau et al (2020)

higher levels of educational attainment is associated with the greater knowledge

regarding the COVID-19 transmission routes. In the same study they have also

found that a higher level of education is also highly associated with the proper

adaptation in regards of proper practices regarding preventative measures towards

the virus. This can be proven by the results of this study, in which there is more

individuals who graduated from college (40%).

Table 1.4

Frequency and Percentage Distribution Table of the Study Participants’

Profile as to Daily Income Level

d. Income level

Frequency Percentage
100-300 pesos 14 35%
300-500 pesos 3 7.5%
500-1000 pesos 23 57.5%
TOTAL 40 100%

As shown in table 1.4, majority of the jeepney drivers earn about 500-1000

pesos which is at 57.5% or 23 out of the 40 respondents. Followed by 100-300

pesos per day or 7.5%. Third is 300-500 pesos per day or 7.5%. In March of 2020,

Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila, Philippines was imposed.

Due to this quarantine, Filipinos have also encountered a major effect on their

household income. One of the most affected were the Filipino Jeepney drivers.

According to Lincoln et al (2020), Households in resource-poor settings in the

Philippines might not have access to regular and reliable sources of information

about disease etiology and prevention, leaving them ill-equipped to minimize the risk

of infection during emerging outbreaks. In this study, almost half of the Jeepney

drivers earning 100-500 pesos daily which is at 42.5% are now left ill-equipped in

term of minimizing the risk of infection since they belong to the low-income group
which does not have access to regular and reliable sources of information regarding

disease prevention.

Table 1.5

Frequency and Percentage Distribution Table of the Study Participants’ Profile

as to Household

e. Household

Frequency Percentage
2-3 family members 10 25%
4-5 family members 18 45%
6-7 family members 8 20%
8 or more family members 4 10%
TOTAL 40 100%

As shown in table 1.5, majority of Filipino Jeepney drivers are part of 4-5 family

members, which is 45% of the 40 respondents. Followed by 2-3 family members,

which is at 25%. 6-7 family members at 20%, and 8 or more family members at

10%. None of the 40 respondents are part of the 1 family member, which is at 0%.

In low- and middle-income countries such as the Philippines, the presence of the

COVID-19 pandemic is raising important concerns about the preparedness of health

systems to address the disease as it continues to spread. Health care facilities that

were already overburdened before the pandemic are becoming increasingly clear

that adopting the measures employed by high-income countries may not be feasible

due to the overwhelming number of cases (Dela Cruz, 2020). This is affirmed by the
result of this study. 4-5 family members of the Jeepney drivers or 45% are now left

uncertain when it comes to measures addressing the disease as it continues to

spread.

2. What is the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of the respondents during

the COVID-19 pandemic?

Table 2 presents the distribution of the levels of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices

of the respondents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Table 2.1

Distribution of the respondents as to their level of Knowledge

Mean Standard Deviation Interpretation

Knowledge 7.75 1.23 High Knowledge

Legend:

0-2.5 No Knowledge

2.51-5.0 Low Knowledge

5.1-7.5 Moderate Knowledge

7.5-10 High Knowledge

A total of 10 items were analyzed to measure the knowledge on COVID-19. As

seen in Table 2.1, the average knowledge score for the respondents was 7.75 (SD =

1.23). COVID19, which began as a regional outbreak in China's Wuhan, has spread

globally, infecting people from nearly every country. The survival and well-being of

human societies are in risk. With a positive attitude toward coronavirus, people
understand the value of social distancing and other preventive measures recommended

by the government. People are depending on reliable sources for corona knowledge, and

although they are confident in their ability to overcome disease, they have expressed

concern about the threat. They are aware of the virus, its common symptoms and

prevention, government testing, and medical facilities. WHO has developed proper

policies and funds to protect countries around the world, with a particular emphasis on

developing countries with poor and weak health infrastructure. The aim was to reduce

virus transmission in society, disseminate critical knowledge, provide adequate

healthcare, and mitigate social and economic losses. In order to avoid infection, WHO

also concentrated on developing a simple and reliable diagnostic method (Singh et al.,

2020).

One of the most important ways to control the spread of diseases like COVID-19 is

to raise public consciousness about infectious diseases caused by new pathogens. Since

knowledge about the disease, its symptoms, precautionary procedures, diagnosis, and

treatment may differ from those of other infectious diseases and take a long time, it is

critical to disseminate timely alerts about the pandemic and preventive care to the public

in order to contain infection transmission. As the nature of the pandemic evolves, it is

critical that knowledge and guidance remain consistent. As a result, it is critical that

accurate and credible information be disseminated to the public through validated outlets,

and that the dissemination of any misinformation be effectively contained to avoid any

losses. As a result, a variety of trustworthy outlets, including the World Health

Organization (WHO) and UN sister organizations, as well as governments from various

countries, have been providing daily updates and required information to prevent COVID-

19 across various channels (Alanezi et al., 2020). This is verified by the results of the

study, which indicates that the levels of knowledge of the study participants was high.

Table 2.2

Distribution of the respondents as to their level of Attitudes

Mean Standard Deviation Interpretation

Attitude 2.9750 .276 Positive

Legend:

1.0-1.75- Highly Negative

1.76-2.5 -Negative

2.51-3.25 -Positive

3.26-4.0 – Highly Positive

There were 10 items that were asked from the study participants regarding their

attitudes on COVID-19. As shown in table 2.2, the attitude score for the respondents was

2.9750 (SD = .0.272). The COVID-19 has drastically affected the lives of people all over

the world affecting every aspect of living the people go through. This has led them to

adapt to a multitude of different measures such as quarantine, the use of personal

protective equipment (PPE), and a variety of different safety measures which was

enforced on the public. On research regarding quarantine has found such conditions has

led to people’s condition being affected such as their attitudes in terms of the perceived

vulnerability and perceived severity which affects a person behavior (Prasetyo et al,
2020). Having a positive attitude is very important during such times because of the

pressure which is put on people leading them to feel anxious and stressed due the

multitude of struggles which the virus caused to individuals and communities. Because of

the rise of the cases within the country the government has released a multitude of

guidelines to which the public would follow, this includes those work under transportation,

which enforced them to follow the guidelines in order for them to presume with the

transportation of people throughout the country. On August 19, 2020 a joint

administrative order was done by the Department of Health (DOH), Department of

Transportation (DOT), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on regarding the “Guidelines on the

Proper use and Promotion of Active Transport During and After the COVID-19

Pandemic”. In this order it is stated the because of the COVID-19 pandemic there is now

a risk for the public when using public transportation, because of this the use of social

distancing is being enforced within public the use of traditional public transport services.

In the joint administrative order each department has their separate duties regarding

public transport and with each of this would be needed to be followed by transportation

personnel to follow accordance with the orders.

The ability to adapt with the obstacles which arise during these times is essential

for one to cope with this scenario. It is imperative to keep track of the attitudes of the

individual if they can adjust to these conditions. Being able to manage emotional stress,

anxiety, and depressive is of utmost importance when faced with disaster. As manifested
on the study the level of the respondents is moderately high showing, indicating that

there is still room to improve when it comes to their attitudes towards COVID-19

Table 2.3

Distribution of the respondents as to their level of Practices

Mean Standard Deviation Interpretation

Practice 3.68 .473 Most of the time

Legend:

1.0-1.80 – None at all

1.81-2.60 – Some of the time

2.61-3.4 – Occasionally

3.41-4.20 – Most of the time

4.1-5.0 – all the time

There were 10 items that were asked from the study participants regarding their

practices on COVID-19. As shown in table 2.3, the practices score for the respondents

was 3.68 (SD = 0.473). In a study, the Philippines reported local transmission of COVID-

19 and imposed enhanced community quarantines (ECQ) on half the population of the

country from 20 March to 30 April. ECQ included very stringent social and physical

distancing steps at the community level, such as halting public transport, banning intra-
country travel, and limiting people to their homes, except for vital activities such as food

and health care (Department of Health, 2020). According to Armed Forces of the

Philippines (2020), The COVID-19 virus hit the economy of the Philippines and plunged

into recession. Gross domestic product shrank 16.5 percent on-year in the second

quarter. To slow down the spread of the virus that has already devastated the economies

globally, the country continues to suffer one of the world's longest stay-at-home orders.

In late January, PUV drivers and conductors were required due to the mandate to

always wear face masks while on duty. Apart from observing proper hygiene, the LTFRB

also called on the riding public, PUV operators, drivers, and conductors to refrain from

“making undue remarks as to unnecessarily raise fear or discrimination among

stakeholders.” (Dela Cruz, 2020). Moreover, the skills of the public utility drivers in the

Philippines were tested due to the many problems brought by COVID-19. Fortunately,

these drivers follow simple health protocols such as washing their hands or sanitizing

their hands with alcohol, wearing face masks and/or face shield, and most importantly,

social distancing. Furthermore, in stepping up efforts to further prevent the spread of the

disease, public gatherings, and large-scale events will soon be regulated through "social

distancing" measures due to the surge in confirmed COVID-19 infections (Dela Cruz,

2020).

Many Filipinos assume that the new normal has adapted to the constraints and

routine. However as found in the recent Ipsos Southeast Asia Study (Indonesia,

Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) on living with COVID-19,
 94 percent express concern that they will contract COVID-19. The global virus pandemic

is greatly affecting the world of work. Also, the long-term livelihoods and well beings of

millions were threatened by the economic and social disruption. (International Labour

Organization, 2020).

3. Is there a significant relationship between the respondents’ demographic profile

and their level of knowledge?

Table 3 presents the Pearson r test of relationship between the respondents’

demographic profile and their level of Knowledge

Table 3.1

Pearson r test results of Relationship between demographic profile and their level of

Knowledge

Variable p-value Decision Verbal Interpretation

Age and Knowledge 0.017 Ho: Rejected Significant at .05 level
Civil Status and Knowledge 0.550 Ho: Accepted No significant relationship
Educational Attainment and Knowledge 0.014 Ho: Rejected Significant at .05 level
Income level and Knowledge 0.040 Ho: Rejected Significant at .05 level
Household and Knowledge 0.786 Ho: Accepted No significant relationship

The high level of awareness among the participants may be due to the fact that the

majority of them have a college degree or higher, or it could be due to the extensive

media coverage, which includes all media channels, and the effect of the pandemic on

social life, which forces people to follow. The older participants' high level of experience
and practice could be due to a better understanding of the disease's increased risk of

infection and complications in the elderly and people with chronic diseases. Following the

health recommendations to monitor the spread of COVID-19, the public's awareness

plays an important role in prevention. As a defense against the epidemic, the general

public's understanding of COVID-19 has improved since the pandemic. The collection of

baseline data on people's awareness of COVID-19 virus clinical presentations,

transmission, prevention, and risk factors will aid in identifying preventive measures that

aren't being followed, making it important for local governments to devise appropriate

strategies to prepare for and control the virus's spread (Saeed et al., 2021).

Age groups, genders, educational levels, socioeconomic backgrounds, and other

sociodemographic variables all have a major impact on participant awareness scores.

Sex, marital status, educational attainment, and other variables were found to have a

significant impact on participants' adequate knowledge. Having sufficient information was

strongly correlated with having a higher education degree. This reveals a significant

educational divide, which may be due to inaccurate public knowledge and COVID-19

distribution. As a result, customizing the information gathered on epidemics by health

officials and other news organizations must address the multifaceted variety of factors

that contribute to a lack of awareness (Banik et al., 2020). This is confirmed by the

results of the study, which indicates that the there is no significant relationship between

the respondents’ demographic profile and their level of Knowledge.

4. Is there a significant relationship between the respondents’ level of knowledge

and the level of attitude and practices?

 Table 4 presents the Pearson r test of relationship between the respondents’ level

of knowledge and the level of attitude and practices.

Table 4.1

Pearson r test results of Relationship between the level of Knowledge and the level of

Attitude

Variable p-value Decision Verbal Interpretation

Knowledge and Attitude 0.017 Ho: Rejected Significant at .05 level

As seen on the results on table 4.1 there is a positive correlation between the

knowledge and attitudes of the study participants. As the knowledge of the participants

are higher as indicated in table 2.1, this would also result in the better attitude of the

person. This is because through better knowledge a person would be able to cope and

adapt to the situation compared to those who graduated in less higher forms of

education. A study held in Wuhan, China found that individuals whose score in

knowledge was lower were found to have been to also have negative attitudes, while the

opposite would result in better attitudes, indicating the positive correlation between the

two (Zhong et al, 2020). Another study also found the same correlation between in

between knowledge and attitudes stating that the main modifier for a person’s attitude

toward the COVID-19 is knowledge (Akalu et al, 2020). Similarly to the results of the
study which used Pearson r test, another study done by Saqlein et al (2020) also

manifested the same results in which in their study showed a clear positive linear

correlation of knowledge and attitudes. A reason for this is because when a person is

more knowledgeable regarding COVID-19 this would lead them to behave more

rationally during times on which problems arose during the time of the spread of the virus

allowing them show have higher level of attitudes when a person shows more literac

regarding the understanding of the virus.

Table 4.2

Pearson r test results of Relationship between the level of Knowledge and the level of

Practices

Variable p-value Decision Verbal Interpretation

Knowledge and Practice 0.022 Ho: Rejected Significant at .05 level

As seen on the results on table 4.2 there is a positive correlation between the

knowledge and practice of the study participants. As the knowledge of the participants

are higher as indicated in table 2.3 which resulted in a better practice of the person. This

explains that the more knowledge a person has, that person would be able to cope and

adapt to the situation compared to those who graduated in less higher forms of

education. In a study conducted in Pakistan, the findings demonstrated that healthcare

workers were using less authentic sources of information which ultimately affected the

knowledge and is reflected in their practice. The study recommends that health ministries

should provide a comprehensive training program, targeting all healthcare workers to

promote all precautionary and preventive measures of COVID-19, to achieve equilibrium

in terms of clinical knowledge about COVID-19 to gain better practice (Saglain et al,

2020)

In another study, findings on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards

COVID-19 among Chinese residents during the rapid rise period of the outbreak from a

quick online cross-sectional survey suggest that Chinese residents of a relatively high

level of socioeconomic status have had good knowledge, optimistic attitudes, and

appropriate practices towards COVID-19 during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19

outbreak. In addition, good COVID-19 knowledge is associated with optimistic attitudes

and appropriate practices towards COVID-19, suggesting that health education programs

aimed at improving COVID-19 knowledge are helpful for encouraging an optimistic

attitude and maintaining safe practices (Zhong et al, 2020)

5. Based on the results of the study, what specific instructional materials could be

developed aimed at improving COVID-19 knowledge and are helpful for Filipino jeepney

drivers to promote optimistic attitudes and maintain appropriate practices?

The researchers have created an instructional material based on the study's results

that aims to improve COVID-19 awareness, foster positive attitudes, and maintain

acceptable practices. Specifically, the researchers constructed infographics and added

information that would be beneficial for the public. Furthermore, based on the important
positive relationship found in our study between awareness, attitude, and practice, health

education initiatives, especially those aimed at people with low knowledge of COVID-19,

are critical for promoting positive attitudes and maintaining healthy practices. Hopefully,

through the awareness through educational materials, especially infographics, the

disease can be better controlled and eliminated.

COVID-19 has, admittedly, been a developing public health problem around the

world. Scientists are working hard to investigate various vaccines and treatment options.

Social scientists, particularly those working in public health and health communication,

are attempting to determine the public's level of awareness, attitudes, and practices

regarding COVID-19 so that cost-effective public health initiatives and education

programs can be developed. In reality, the current survey highlights the need for more

rigorous education programs that place a premium on the quality of information provided

by the government and other authorities. COVID-19 education activities should be

constructive, focusing on dispelling misinformation in the form of divergent viewpoints,

old wives' tales, and incorrect facts. In order to disseminate these messages, authorities

should use both traditional and social media (Azlan et al., 2020).

Stringent in-door quarantine, person-to-person health inspections, massive

disinfection, widespread public health education programs, and school and workplace

closures were all implemented in different countries. Online notifications, broadcasting

and multimedia research, immersive lectures, e-hospital consultations, and educational

flyers, among other widely distributed public health education programs, played a vital

role in public planning. It was believed that the pandemic had a huge effect on people's

beliefs and behaviors, which needed to be examined (Peng, 2020).