Understanding Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Children about COVID-19

Cambodia reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on 27 January 2020. As of 27 May, there are 124 confirmed cases, and no reported deaths. Save the Children, who has been working in Cambodia since 1970, quickly leveraged its humanitarian experience and technical expertise in education, child protection and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) to fight against COVID-19 in Cambodia. In order to develop targeted and effective child-friendly RCCE materials, they needed to better understand children’s knowledge about the new virus and identify the best communication channels.

The overall objective of the rapid need assessment was to gain insights on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Cambodian children around COVID-19. The study aimed to understand the information needs of children, their preferred and most trusted communication channels, their current household situation, their understanding of the virus and how they are protecting themselves, as well as their top concerns and needs. Results from this assessment have informed Save the Children in Cambodia’s COVID-19 Response Strategy to create adaptable programmes to respond to the crisis, as well as contribute to the national RCCE working group, led by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and World Health Organization.