Community’s misconception about COVID-19 and its associated factors among Gondar town residents, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Despite the implementation of various strategies such as the declaration of COVID-19 emergency state, staying at home, lockdown, and massive protective equipment distribution, still COVID-19 is increasing alarmingly. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the community’s perception of COVID-19 and its associated factors in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 635 Gondar administrative town residents, from April 20 to April 27, 2020. Study participants were selected using a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Epi-Data version 4.6 and STATA 14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Logistic regressions (bivariable and multivariable) were performed to identify statistically significant variables at p < 0.05. Results Of the 635 study participants, 623 have completed the study with a 98.1% response rate. The mean age of participants was 36.32 years (SD ± 13.24). The overall magnitude of the community’s misconception about COVID-19 stood at 56.9% (349). Age and religion showed a negative association with misconceptions. To be specific, being in the age group of 27–33 (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.32, 0.86) and being a Muslim (AOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.34, 0.78) were negatively associated with the misconception of COVID-19, whereas occupation and awareness showed positive associations with the misconception. To be specific, having an unemployed occupational status (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.14, 2.82) and being unaware of the number of cases of COVID-19 (AOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.05, 2.62) were positively associated with the community’s misconception on COVID-19. Conclusion The magnitude of the community’s misconception about COVID-19 among Gondar town residents was high. Age, religion, unemployment, and unawareness about the number of COVID-19 cases were significant factors of misconception about COVID-19. Thus, stakeholders ought to build community perceptions about COVID 19. To resolve misinformation about COVID-19, accurate and relevant information should be provided to the community using appropriate communication media.

COVID-19 related misconceptions among older adults in Bangladesh: findings from a cross-sectional study

“…We also observed that misconception scores were significantly lower among older adults aged 70-79 years compared to those aged 60-69 years. This suggests that relatively older adults are more open to receiving accurate information related to COVID-19, which is also supported by the findings of recent research 52 . Participants aged 70-79 years may have been open to receiving accurate information regarding COVID-19 due to awareness that COVID-19 related morbidities and mortality increases with age 52 .…”

Community’s misconception about COVID-19 and its associated factors in Satkhira, Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

“…For instance, a significant portion of religious people believe that the virus mainly affects the nonreligious or atheist [4,5]. Some people also believe that people in low-income countries have a better immunity than people in high income settings, and therefore the former are less likely to be infected by the COVID-19 [6,7]. Other groups believe coronavirus is a revenge of nature and punishment from God [8][9][10].…”

Community’s misconception about COVID-19 and its associated factors: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

“…It was then back translated into English, to make sure the original meaning was retained. The questionnaire was developed based in the evidence of relevant research in Bangladesh and other developing countries [3,5,21,22,33,34]. Two rounds of pre-testing were conducted, and inaccuracies and misunderstood questions were revised before the final data collection.…”

“…For instance, many religious groups believe that this virus mainly affects non-religious communities or atheists while others believe educated and richer people are more prone to get the infection [3,4]. People in low-income countries have also been observed to believe that they have better immuity than people in developed countries which prevent them from getting COVID-19 [5,6].…”

“…Other focus areas of previous studies have been knowledge and awareness about COVID-19 among the general population [22], health professionals [23,24], parents [25] and students [26] and vulnerable and susceptible populations [27][28][29]. Moreover, very few studies have been conducted to explore misconceptions about COVID-19 that were disseminated through social and mass media [5,30,31]. Evidence from the rural area is scarce till now.…”