Community risk perception and health-seeking behavior in the era of COVID-19 among adult residents of Harari regional state, eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 brought significant challenges to public health. It changed the view of global health and safety, trust in the healthcare system, and clients’ willingness to seek healthcare. To contain the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and its detrimental effects, understanding peoples’ health behavior, especially healthcare-seeking, and determining the community risk perception is very important. Thus, this study aimed to determine the health-seeking behavior, community’s risk perception to COVID-19 pandemics, and factors influencing the community risk perception in Harari regional state, Ethiopia. Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 5 to 30 February 2021. A total of 1320 adult (>18 years) participants were selected using systematic random sampling. The data were collected using an online kobo collect toolbox and analyzed using descriptive statistical tests. Chi-square test and multiple binary logistic regression were applied to examine the difference between variables. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be of statistical significance. Results: The study included 1296 respondents >18 years old. The overall prevalence of willingness to seek healthcare in the study area was 35.6% (95% CI: 33%–38.3.0%). The mean cumulative score of risk perception was 30.5 (SD ± 7.25) with the minimum and maximum score of 13 and 63, respectively. A total of 656 (50.6%) of the participants had low-risk perceptions concerning COVID-19. The study found a statistically significant association between risk perception and sociodemographic characteristics (age, educational status, and income), and knowledge of the respondents. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of willingness to seek healthcare was 35.6%. Healthcare intervention aimed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic should consider the factors associated with the study area. Similarly, the study found a low-risk perception among the community that needs critical action to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the community as a whole. Thus, it is necessary to improve community risk perception through health education.

COVID‐19 and access to cancer care in Kenya: patient perspective

“…This perspective is supported by a recent study in Ethiopia that found a significant association between education level and COVID‐19 risk perception 23 …”

COVID-19-related attitude and risk perception among pregnant women attending antenatal care, and the associated factors, at public health facilities of East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia, 2020: a multi-center cross-sectional study

“…This is because waiters are more vulnerable due to contact with almost all individuals, especially foreigners who enter hotels and restaurants (Asefa et al 2020 ). This result is also lower than from another local study (Eyeberu et al 2021 ). The difference in the study setting and data collection questionnaire accounted for this discrepancy.…”

Factors associated with the risk perception of COVID-19 infection and severe illness: A cross-sectional study in Japan

“…Many previous studies investigated sociodemographic determinants of COVID-19 risk perception. Women, the elderly, wealthy people, and those with underlying diseases were more likely to have a higher risk perception of COVID-19 ( Eyeberu et al, 2021 ; He et al, 2021 , Monge-Rodríguez et al, 2021 ; Zeballos Rivas, Lopez Jaldin, Nina Canaviri, Portugal Escalante, Alanes Fernandez, et al, 2021 ). Second, risk perception is associated with psychological factors.…”