Bangladesh: COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, practices & needs. Responses from three rounds of data collection among adolescent girls in districts with high rates of child marriage

From 20 to 30 April 2020, during a nationwide lockdown, the Population Council Bangladesh conducted the first round of a rapid phone-based survey on COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes and practices. The survey randomly selected girls who had provided phone numbers during enrollment in a skills-building programme that began before the pandemic. The survey’s objective was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent lives and to design programs that would contribute to protecting girls and meet social distancing guidelines imposed by the government. Phone interviews were conducted with 479 girls living in the districts of Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, and Sherpur who were participants in a program focused on reducing child marriage by increasing school attendance and grade progression among girls ages 12 to 15. A follow-up survey was conducted from 12 to 22 June 2020, prior to the introduction of virtual skills sessions as school closure and social distancing protocols were in effect. The nationwide lockdown had been withdrawn by that time. A third round of remote data collection took place from 5 to 11 September 2020. This brief presents the findings and comparisons from the three rounds of phone surveys.