Magnitude and Associated Factors for Attitude and Practice Toward COVID-19 and Its Prevention Among the Residents of Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Rural community perceptions and practices toward the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention in Konso Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a lesson for the next pandemic

Background

Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has provided a lesson on preparedness and coping mechanisms for similar pandemics to different community segments. To control and prevent the spreading of COVID-19, people need to possess the correct attitude and perception to follow the appropriate practices against the causative agent. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the rural community's perceptions and practices toward COVID-19 prevention among southern Ethiopia's Konso zone rural communities.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study conducted from April to May 2022 on 605 study participants in the Kena district of the Konso zone of Ethiopia. Participants were recruited using simple random sampling techniques. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data using structured questionnaires developed from the World Health Organization guide and related literature. A logistic regression model was used to identify determinants of perception and practice.

Results

Among the 564 participants, 296 (52.5%) believed they would go to the healthcare facility if they contracted COVID-19. About 276 (48.9%) perceived that COVID-19 is not a stigma and should not be concealed. About 233 (41.3%) perceived COVID-19 would be controlled. However, the majority, 451 (80%), 440 (78%), 384 (68.1%), 381 (67.6%), 337 (59.8%), and 317 (56.2%) perceived that the cause of COVID-19 is sin, eating some food items were effective against the virus, no cases in their locality, living far away from COVID-19 area, the virus does not exist, respectively. Overall, only 22.5% of the study participants have good perceptions. About 58.5% practiced handwashing to prevent COVID-19, and 45.2% covered their mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing. Among the participants, 39.8% were vaccinated, and about a quarter (24.8%) of the respondents had good prevention practices. Participants with better educational status, use of social media as a source of information, and those with better income levels are found to be protective factors while being married is a risk factor.

Conclusion

The status of the participant's perception and preventive practices toward COVID-19 was meager. There was a substantial magnitude of wrong perceptions about controlling such pandemics. High inaccurate perceptions and low preventive practice need an urgent and sustained improvement strategy to tackle similar pandemics or epidemics.

Effectiveness of peer-led education interventions on contraceptive use, unmet need, and demand among adolescent girls in Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia. A cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Peer-led education interventions are assumed to be an effective means of increasing contraceptive utilization and demand in adolescents. However evidence is lacking on whether peer-led education is effective in promoting the demand for and use of contraceptives in adolescent girls, especially in resource-limited settings.

OBJECTIVE

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of peer-led education interventions in improving contraceptive use, unmet needs, and demand among sexually active secondary school adolescent girls in Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia.

METHODS

A single-blinded cluster randomised controlled trial study was performed in six randomly selected secondary schools in the Gedeo Zone, southern Ethiopia. A total of 224 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received peer-led education intervention for six months. A pre-tested and validated questionnaire was used to measure contraceptive use, unmet need, and contraceptive demand. A generalised estimating equation (GEE) model was used to examine the effectiveness of the intervention.

RESULT

After six months of intervention, the Differences-in-difference in contraceptive use, unmet need, and contraceptive demand between the intervention and control groups were 25.1%, 7.4%, and 17.7%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in contraceptive use [AOR = 8.7, 95% CI: (3.66, 20.83), unmet need for contraceptives [AOR = 6.2, 95% CI: (1.61, 24.36)] and contraceptive demand [AOR = 6.1, 95% CI: (2.43, 15.11)] between the intervention and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

School-based peer education intervention effectively improved contraceptive use and unmet needs in a low-resource setting and created demand in sexually active adolescent girls. These results support the potential utility of this approach in similar settings for the promotion of contraception use and demand.

Assessment of COVID-19 prevention practice and associated factors in Jimma town, Ethiopia: A mixed study

Background

COVID-19 has affected the mental and physical wellbeing, social structure, countries' economy as well as individuals and community resilience, trust, and inequalities among societies. However, now almost all of the activities have been returned to the pre-corona era, despite the emergence of new strains and the spread of the disease. Hence, this study was conducted to assess COVID-19 prevention practice and the associated factors.

Materials and methods

A community-based cross-sectional study triangulated with the qualitative findings was conducted in Jimma town, Oromia, Ethiopia. A total of 422 sample households were involved in the quantitative study. The quantitative data were collected using a structured questionnaire and 12 key informants were also interviewed for the qualitative part. The quantitative data were processed and entered into the Epi Data version 4.6 (software) and analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Similarly, the qualitative data were analyzed using ATLASti.7.1.04 software package. Descriptive statistics and binary logistics regression (p < 0.25) were conducted to identify the candidate variable for multivariable logistics regression analysis (p < 0.05) and a 95% confidence interval was used to establish the level of significance of the variables with the practice.

Results

Interviews were conducted with a total of 422 participants, yielding a response rate of 100%. Good preventive practices were found to be adopted by 13.3% of the respondents. People aged ≥ 50 years, [AOR = 2.85, 95%, CI = 1.246-0.53] who recovered from COVID-19, [AOR = 2.41, 95%, CI = 1.184-0.92], had chronic diseases [AOR = 3.70, 95%, CI = 1.887-0.25], and living with COVID-19 high risk [AOR = 2.96, 95%, CI = 1.475-0.991 were independently associated with good preventive practices.

Conclusion

In this study, it was understood that there were poor COVID-19 preventive practices among the study participants. There was a disparity in adherence to the preventive practices in relation to (i.e., 50 and above years) the experience of contracting COVID-19 and people aged above 65 years old living with the high-risk group. In addition, the community had different misconceptions or risk perceptions related to COVID-19 infection and preventive practices. This highlights the need to design health education programs and implement risk and/or social and behavior change communication interventions to change perceptions or misconceptions of people or community members to bring about the desired behavioral change and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Occupational safety of janitors in Ethiopian University during COVID-19 pandemic: Results from observational study

Introduction

Janitors are at high risk of COVID-19 infection, as they are among the frontline workers for the prevention and control of COVID-19. Poor occupational safety practices could contribute to loss of lives of janitors and the general public. However, there are no detailed investigations on occupational safety practices of janitors involved in different settings, such as universities where there are crowds of people. In addition, although observation is recognized as a better tool to investigate occupational safety practices, previous studies mainly employed self-administered questionnaires and/or face-to-face interviews as data collection mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed to assess occupational safety practices to prevent COVID-19 transmission and associated factors among Ethiopian University janitors using an observation tool and a self-administered questionnaire.

Methods

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 janitors of Bule Hora University (Ethiopia) from November to December, 2021. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the independent factors associated with occupational safety practices.

Results

Occupational safety practices for COVID-19 were good only among 53.9% of the janitors. Training on COVID-19 prevention measures (AOR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.57–4.37), availability of policy and protocol in the work place (AOR = 5.46; 95% CI: 3.57–8.36), and availability of soap/bleach (AOR = 2.71; 95% CI: 1.64–4.46) were found to significantly increase the likelihood of occupational safety of the janitors.

Conclusion

A significant proportion of the janitors had poor occupational safety practices. Therefore, an adequate supply of PPE and regular training and awareness creation on COVID-19 should be strengthened. Close follow-up and regular supervision of safety procedures should also be conducted as controlling strategies.

Practices and associated factors of infection prevention of nurses working in public and private hospitals toward COVID-19 in Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia: Institution-based cross-sectional study

Objective

To assess the levels of practices and associated factors of infection prevention of nurses working in public and private hospitals toward coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia.

Methods

Institution-based cross-sectional study design employed in public and private hospitals in Bahir Dar city from 26 March 2021 to 8 April 2021. A total of 442 study participants were recruited using stratified followed by simple random sampling techniques. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared and pretested on 5% of the total sample. The collected data were checked for completeness and consistency, and then the data were coded, entered, and cleaned with SPSS version 25 software. Descriptive statistics were carried out to display the means and proportions of sociodemographic characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between the level of prevention practices and the independent variables. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to report the results. A significant association was set at p-value <0.05.

Results

Of the total 442 samples, 431 (with response rate of 97.5%) answered the questions completely. The mean (±standard deviation) age of the participants was 29.33 (±5.62) years and 217 (50.3%) were females. The proportion of good prevention practices of nurses toward COVID-19 was 39.4% (95% confidence interval: 35%-44%). Female (adjusted odds ratio = 1.77, 95% confidence interval: 1.18-2.68), have training on COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio = 1.65, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-2.48), personal protective equipment access (adjusted odds ratio = 1.57, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-2.44), availability of infection prevention guideline (adjusted odds ratio = 1.63, 95% confidence interval: 1.06-2.49), and favorable attitude (adjusted odds ratio = 2.05, 95% confidence interval: 1.25-3.36) were factors significantly associated with good infection prevention practices.

Conclusion

Most nurses in Bahir Dar City public and private hospitals had poor prevention practices against COVID-19. Training provision, infection prevention guidelines distribution, sustainable personal protective equipment access, and promotion to change their attitudes are intervention areas that required emphasis.

Perception of University Students Towards National Efforts at Controlling COVID-19 Pandemics, the Practice of Prevention Measures and its Associated Factors During School Reopening

Background

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many communities including students. Even if restrictions are being lifted in some countries, i.e., Ethiopia, COVID-19 is not gone yet. Adjusting to the "new normal", an emerging prevention response to the virus, can greatly recover public health and education. Thus, this study aimed to assess students' perception of national efforts at controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, including approaches to prevention measures, and associated factors during campus re-entry.

Methods and Materials

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 682 Debre Berhan University (DBU) students from December 1 to 15, 2020, when students had just gone back to school. The data was entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 statistical software for analysis. The perception and practice of the participants were assessed using a scoring system. Binary logistic regression was run to identify the significant (p ≤ 0.05) predictors of COVID-19 prevention practice.

Result

The overall high perception and good practice of prevention behaviors were 32%, 95% CI (28.8-35.2), and 37.5%, 95% CI (33.7-41.2), respectively. Being female [AOR (CI) = 1.67 (1.17-2.37)], have a rural residence [AOR (CI) = 1.56 (1.07-2.29)], fathers' education [AOR (CI) = 1.94 (1.06-3.56)], having respiratory disease [AOR (CI) = 2.81 (1.32-5.95)], and information sources from YouTube [AOR (CI) = 1.87 (1.19-2.91)] were significant factors for COVID-19 prevention practice. Besides, a high perception of national efforts at controlling COVID-19 [AOR (CI) = 2.94 (2.04-4.25)] was positively associated with the practice of prevention measures.

Conclusion

During school reopening, most students had a low perception of national efforts at controlling COVID-19 and poor prevention practices. Socio-demographics, having a chronic illness, information sources, and perception of national efforts were factors of COVID-19 prevention practice. Thus, raising the perception of the national efforts, promoting precautionary measures, managing chronic illnesses, and disseminating information through YouTube are critical to preventing and controlling COVID-19 during campus re-entry.

Assessment of practice of Covid-19 preventive measures and associated factors among residents in Southern, Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION

Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a respiratory disease mostly affecting old aged and those with comorbidities. Due to resource constraints in developing countries, control of Covid-19 was based on preventive measures. However, there is variation in adherence to these precautionary measures from place to place among communities. Therefore, this study assessed the practice of Covid-19 preventive measures and associated factors among residents of Southern, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study was employed on residents of Southern, Ethiopia. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from households through systematic random sampling methods. Data was entered, coded, and analyzed using STATA version 16. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between outcome variables and predictor variables. Finally, the interpretation of Adjusted Odds ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and p-value was done for statistically significant factors of Covid-19 preventive measures practice.

RESULTS

The proportion of residents who had good practice of Covid-19 preventive measures was 31.3% (95% CI: 26.5, 36.1). Out of 364 residents, 264 (72.5%) used facemasks, 218 (59.9%) washed their hands frequently, 167 (45.9%) practiced social distancing, 135 (37.1%) stayed at home, 75 (18.1%) avoided handshaking and 228 (62.6%) used hand sanitizer. Following government directions (AOR = 225; 95% CI: 68.6, 738), good knowledge about Covid-19 (AOR = 3.47; 95% CI: 1.12, 10.73), having access to water supply (AOR = 2.92; 95% CI: 1.05, 8.18), belief towards protectiveness of preventive measure (AOR = 3.53; 95% CI: 1.08, 11.61) and chronic illness (AOR = 5.09; 95% CI: 1.44, 17.96) were significantly associated with practice of Covid-19 preventive measures.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the proportion of residents practicing Covid-19 preventive measures was low. Having comorbidity, following government directions, knowledge about Covid-19 and access to water supply were significantly associated with Covid-19 preventive measures practice. Therefore, government and all concerned stakeholders should increase the accessibility of infrastructure and provide continuous awareness creation campaigns regarding Covid-19 mode of transmission, sign and symptom, and protectiveness of Covid-19 preventive measures. Moreover, dissemination of teaching aids using local languages and close monitoring of community compliance to Covid-19 preventive measures is crucial.

Community Engagement in the Fight Against COVID-19: Knowledge, Attitude, and Prevention Practices Among Dire Dawa Residents, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: There is a global concern that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cannot be addressed without the integration and active engagement of communities. We aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the residents in Eastern Ethiopia toward COVID-19. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on May 1-30, 2020 among the residents of Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on the awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices toward COVID-19. We used random sampling to select the participants. Data was entered into the statistics and data (STATA) version for data cleaning and analysis. Binary logistic regression models with 95% CI were used to conduct bivariable [crude odds ratio (COR)] and multivariable [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)] analyses. Result: A total of 415 community residents responded to the questionnaire. Of those participants, 52.5% (95% CI 47.7-57) had adequate knowledge, 31.6% (95% CI 27-36) had favorable attitudes, and 49% (95% CI 45-50) had good practice toward the precautionary measures of COVID-19. Adequate knowledge had a significant association with urban residence (AOR = 5, 95% CI 3.1-8.4) and literacy (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.5-6.7). Good preventions practices had a significant association with place of residence (AOR = 4.1, 95% CI 2.3-7.2), literacy (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1,2-7.4), adequate knowledge (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI 2.3-5.8), and favorable attitude (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.8) about the disease. Conclusion: The overall COVID-19-related KAP was inadequate in the majority of the residents of Dire Dawa that occupy irregular migration flows. These call for robust community-centered behavioral communication strategies that could bridge the gaps and help prevent and control COVID-19 and other future pandemics in their community.

Predicting Public Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Measures: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hong Kong

Objectives: To effectively control the spread of COVID-19, the public's adherence to relevant disease preventive measures (DPM) is critical. This study examined individuals' adherence to various DPM and identified facilitators and barriers to adherence in a community sample in Hong Kong. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, telephone surveys were conducted over December 2020 and January 2021. Participants provided responses on their adherence to DPM as well as other psychosocial and cognitive factors via the phone. Results: Of the sample of 1255 Chinese adults (aged >18 years, 53% women), 94.4% wore face masks in public areas; 88.4% avoided touching their eyes, nose, and mouth; 82.1% performed hand hygiene practices; 81.5% used alcohol-based hand rubs; 74.6% abided by social distancing; and 39.7% tested for COVID-19 on a voluntary basis. Perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, cues to action, perceived acceptability, and disruptions to daily life related to COVID-19 were associated with individuals' adherence to DPM. Conclusions: Adherence to DPM was strong in Hong Kong, and the adherence level could be predicted by various factors. It is vital to consider these factors in order to improve the public's adherence.

Evidence Gaps and Challenges in the Fight Against COVID-19 in Africa: Scoping Review of the Ethiopian Experience

BACKGROUND

Ethiopia, like many African countries, took immediate actions to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and its impacts. However, the pandemic control measures were not guided by robust local evidence and not tailored to national contexts. In this review, we aimed to evaluate the evidence gaps and challenges of COVID-19 control measures in Ethiopia during the early months of the pandemic.

DESIGN

Scoping Review.

DATA SOURCE

Searches were conducted in PubMed, LitCovid, Web of Sciences, Embase, MedRx, ChemRxiv, BioRx, and Google Scholar.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Peer-reviewed or pre-print original research articles on COVID-19 from Ethiopia during a period of January 1, 2020 and October 10, 2020 were included in this review.

RESULTS

Of 573 articles found, 64 were eligible for inclusion. However, only 25 of them were peer-reviewed; 78% (50/64) were based on cross-sectional descriptive studies. Most of the studies focused on human behavior and healthcare system; only 13 articles addressed epidemiology and clinical spectrum of COVID-19. The studies have revealed a good level of awareness and a favorable attitude by community and healthcare workers (HCWs) towards COVID-19 and its control. However, the practices of infection prevention were found to be low among HCWs and the community. The outbreak unfolded at a slower rate than initially feared but the impact of the counter measures against COVID-19 on the delivery of essential healthcare services was felt more than the direct impact of the pandemic. Moreover, the actions taken by the country did not appear to be tailored to the pattern of the outbreak and existing local evidence. The overall number of published COVID-19-related scientific articles from Ethiopia during the review period was found to be limited.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 control in Ethiopia was challenged by lack of robust local scientific evidence, and the pandemic control measures were not adapted to local context and the outbreak patterns. Thus, Ethiopia and other African countries should design culturally sensitive and locally acceptable public health interventions for COVID-19 and potential future outbreaks based on locally generated scientific evidence.

Attitude, preparedness, and perceived self-efficacy in controlling COVID-19 pandemics and associated factors among university students during school reopening

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains a significant public health problem globally. In Ethiopia, the number of infected peoples and deaths due to COVID-19 has increased dramatically in the past. Currently, students are resuming to face to face education with strict prevention measures. University students are more dynamic and more susceptible to acquiring and spreading the virus.

Objective

To assess the attitude, preparedness, and self-efficacy to prevent and control COVID-19 and associated factors among university students during school reopening, Northeast Ethiopia.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted among Debre Berhan University (DBU) students from December 1 to 15/2020, when students return to campus. A multistage sampling technique was applied to recruit 682 participants. The ReadyScore criteria were used to classify the level of preparedness. Epi-Data version 4.6 was used for data entry, while SPSS version 25 for analysis. Descriptive and Binary logistic regression analysis was computed, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Result

The overall level of favourable attitude, good preparedness, and high self-efficacy among students were 67.2%, 17.9%, and 50.4%, respectively. Only mothers’ education was associated with attitude. Female gender, open relationships, health science faculty, heart disease, and favourable attitude were significant preparedness factors. Whereas being undergraduate, parents’ education, residing in dorm being four and above, having kidney disease, having friend/family history of COVID-19 infection and death, favourable attitude, and good preparedness were predictors of self-efficacy.

Conclusion

The level of attitude, preparedness, and self-efficacy towards COVID-19 among students during campus re-entry were low. Managing chronic illnesses and raising the attitude and preparedness of students is essential to reduce the burden of COVID-19 pandemics. Besides, emphasis should be placed on male, unmarried, postgraduate, and non-health science students to increase the level of preparedness and self-efficacy.

Health Communication, Knowledge, Perception and Behavioral Responses to COVID-19 Outbreak in Dessie, Kombolcha and Kemissie Towns, Amhara Region, Northeast Ethiopia: A Mixed-Method Study

BACKGROUND

Despite the efforts made to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Ethiopia, new cases continue to rise. Therefore, to overcome the devastating effects of the outbreak, health communication and the community's knowledge, perception, and behavioral responses towards COVID-19 should be assessed.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from June 15 to July 30, 2020, with 827 and 18 participants for the quantitative and qualitative study, respectively. The data were collected using ODK collect and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was computed, and variables that had a significant association were interpreted at p <0.05 with a 95% CI. Additionally, the qualitative data were collected using in-depth interview and then transcribed, translated, and analyzed using thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

The majority (97.8%) of respondents obtained information about COVID-19 through broadcast media, and 58.5% of the participants had good knowledge of COVID-19. Likewise, 51.3%, 60.9%, 73.8%, 35.1%, and 74.2% of participants had high perceived susceptibility, severity, benefit, barrier, and self-efficacy to COVID-19, respectively. Additionally, 54.3% of respondents had good behavioral responses to COVID-19. Kombolcha town residents (AOR: 4.32, 95% CI, 2.02-9.2), aged from 25 to 34, and 35 to 44 years old (AOR: 2.62, 95% CI, 1.37-5.0), and (AOR: 2.23, 95% CI, 1.11-4.46), respectively, secondary or above education (AOR: 2.38, 95% CI, 1.17-4.86), good knowledge of COVID-19 (AOR: 2.07, 95% CI, 1.42-3.02), high perceived self-efficacy (AOR: 4.90, 95% CI, 3.10-7.75), and low perceived barriers (AOR: 3.17, 95% CI, 2.12-4.74) to COVID-19 preventive measures were significantly associated with the behavioral responses to COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the behavioral responses to COVID-19 were relatively low. Therefore, continuous awareness creation is needed to scale up the community's knowledge and perceived self-efficacy. Furthermore, the general public, especially young people, should follow the government's COVID-19 prevention and control rules and regulations.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Towards COVID-19 in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review; 2020

BACKGROUND

Novel coronavirus disease is a very fast spreading respiratory disease. This disease is becoming a public health emergency across the world. Despite many efforts by countries, organizations, and institutions to prevent and control, the pandemic remains a world health danger. Ethiopia is one of the countries which is severely affected by the pandemic. However, a systematic review of the knowledge, attitude, and practice about coronavirus disease in Ethiopia has not previously done. Thus, the main aim of this systematic review is to investigate the status of people's knowledge, attitude, and practice about coronavirus disease preventive measures in Ethiopia in 2020.

METHODS

Data were extracted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies were accessed through electronic web-based search from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google, Google Scholar, and Embase. All statistical analyses were done using Stata version 11 software with a random-effects model.

RESULTS

A total of 11 studies with 3818 participants were included in this systematic review and the overall estimated status of the knowledge, attitude, and practice about coronavirus in Ethiopia are 61.78%, 72.39%, and 52.83%, respectively. According to region subgroup analysis, the highest estimated statuses of the knowledge, attitude, and practice are 74% in Tigray, 86.13% in Southern nations, nationalities, and Peoples' of the region, and 72% in Tigray region, respectively. Subgroup analysis was done based on the focused group and way of questionnaire administration.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review revealed people's knowledge, attitude, and practice about coronavirus disease preventive measures were generally more than 50%. However, government and every individual should address those behaviors stipulated by the World Health Organization and Center for Communicable Disease and Control guidelines to prevent coronavirus disease.

Practice of COVID-19 Prevention Measures and Associated Factors Among Residents of Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia: Community-Based Study

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 is a current health concern in the world. People applying the prevention methods of COVID-19 are vital determinants of curbing the spread of the coronavirus. This study aimed to assess the practices and associated factors of the COVID-19 preventive measures among Dire Dawa residents.

METHODS

A community-based, cross-sectional mixed method was used. We conducted the study between June 15th and July 15th, 2020. The subjects of the study were selected by using systematic random sampling. We collected data through face-to-face and in-depth interviews. Both bivariate and multiple logistic regression were employed to determine the predictor variables with the practice of COVID-19 prevention measures. Thematic content analysis analyzed qualitative data.

RESULTS

The practice of COVID-19 preventive measures was 40.7% (95% CI: 37-44.4%). Being female [AOR= 1.8; 95% CI: 1.17-2.72], married [AOR=2.75; 95% CI: 1.68-4.48], family income >10,000 Ethiopia birr [AOR=7.3; 95% CI: 3.8-13.9], having history of a chronic disease [AOR=3.46 (1.69, 7.08)], not chewing khat [AOR= 2.15; 95% CI: 1.1-4.2], had a good knowledge about COVID-19 [AOR=5.23; 95% CI: 3-9], and had a favorable attitude about COVID-19 [AOR=3.87; 95% CI: 2.4-6.14] were significantly associated with practice of COVID-19 preventive measures. The qualitative result revealed the communities are not willingly practicing prevention measures because of carelessness and ignorant of the consequences of COVID-19, and some communities believed that COVID-19 is not a real pandemic rather government uses it merely to gain political profit.

CONCLUSION

The proportion of practice of COVID-19 preventive measures was low. Sex, marital status, income, history of chronic disease, history of khat chewing, knowledge, and attitude about COVID-19 were associated factors with COVID-19 preventive practices. The communities were not practicing the COVID-19 prevention method because of poor knowledge and a negative attitude.