COVID-19 related knowledge, attitudes, practices and needs of households in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

Austrian, Karen; Pinchoff, Jessie; Tidwell, James B.; White, Corinne; Abuya, Timothy; Kangwana, Beth; Ochako, Rhoune; Wanyungu, John; Muluve, Eva; Mbushi, Faith; Mwanga, Daniel; Nzioki, Mercy; Ngô, Thoại D.

doi:10.2471/blt.20.260281

Cited by 144 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Our survey shows that 31% of the youth (1 in every 3) perceive themselves as being at low or no risk of getting infected with COVID-19. These levels varied with a previous study conducted in the informal settlement of Nairobi where about a third of participants felt they were at high risk of infection [22]. The low risk was associated with having no history of travel and the believe that God will protect them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The few who were not practicing such behaviors reported lack of water or soap, cost of masks and discomfort while wearing mask and costs of sanitizers as deterrent to practicing preventive behaviors. A previous survey conducted two weeks prior to this, showed that households are already performing risk reduction behaviors including increased hand washing with soap where possible, use of hand sanitizer, and staying home more [22]. Although these behaviors are practiced, additional focus should be how to sustain these behaviors on hygiene and social distancing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and the effects of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among young people in Kenya

Karijo¹,

Wamugi²,

Lemanyishoe³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: The cases of Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in Kenya have been increasing rapidly, since the first case was confirmed in early March, 2020. In the wake of the crisis around COVID-19, the health and socio-economic challenges experienced by Kenya’s largest demography, the youth, are likely to elevated. This study sought to establish knowledge levels, gaps and attitude of the youth with regards to COVID-19 and identify the effects of the pandemic on health seeking behaviour and socio-economic status of youth.Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 2,153 youth across 47 counties in Kenya, through a combined online survey and phone interviews. All survey responses analyzed using STATA v15 were tabulated by gender, age, education level to generate basic descriptive tables and tested for differences by category using chi-square tests with a significance level of 0.05. Where applicable linear and logistic regression analysis model was conducted with covariates such as employment status, gender and education level were used.Results: Knowledge on symptoms of COVID-19 was generally high. Female respondents were more likely to name more symptoms correctly compared to men; p<0.001. However, youth reported very low levels of anyone being at risk of infection (7%). Since they started receiving messaging on COVID-19, most youth have adopted behavior necessary to slow down the infection. There were generally very low reported levels of inability to access health services related to sexual and reproductive health. About 50% of respondents reported significant decline in income during the pandemic period, while nearly a third reported living in fear while 27% reported feeling stressed.Conclusion: Our study revealed considerably high knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, preventive strategies and most commonly sources of information that are instructive for the pandemic response. Findings suggest messaging campaigns should focus on reaching clarifying risk groups. The need to track health service use among youth is essential to lay longer term strategies towards minimizing potential long-term consequences of the pandemic. Strategies to sustain behaviors positively adopted and leverage the vast network of youth as champions of behavior change will be critical to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and the effects of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among young people in Kenya

Karijo¹,

Wamugi²,

Lemanyishoe³

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Another study in Malaysia [19] to examine knowledge, perception and communication behaviour among publics in Malaysia showed that the level of knowledge, risk perceptions and positive communication behaviour related to COVID-19 was high, where the majority of the respondents correctly answered knowledge related questions, perceived the risks and impacts of COVID-19 seriously. Likewise, a similar study in Kenya in informal settlements [20] showed knowledge regarding COVID-19 symptoms and highrisk groups were accurate however some misconceptions remained regarding speci c symptoms and considering children as high-risk groups. Another study conducted in Egypt to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and attitude of the public towards the disease showed that the participants had good knowledge and positive attitude towards the protective measures against COVID-19, which was mainly gained through social media and the internet.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among Nepalese residents during the COVID-19 outbreak: An online cross-sectional study

Paudel

Shrestha

Karmacharya³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of COVID-19 among Nepalese population, as containment of the disease is only possible with the change in behaviours as preventive measures. Methodology. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of two month among Nepalese residents aged ≥ 18 years using a previously validated tool. Unrestricted self-selected, convenient sampling method was adopted to generate a heterogeneous sample. Data were analysed in SPSS version 22 using chi-square/Fisher-exact test, independent t-test, multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression. Results. Out of 766 participants, 78.3% were aged 20–39 years and 58.2% were residents of province 3. One-third of the respondents were students followed by health workers. The rates for correct answer for COVID-19 knowledge questionnaire ranged from 30–99% with health workers and participants with bachelor’s degree having significantly better knowledge. Of the total participants, 71.5% agreed that COVID-19 will be effectively controlled and 80% were assured that Nepal could win the fight against COVID-19. The majority of the participants had not visited any crowded place (93.1%) which was significantly associated with age, marital status, gender, education, occupation, province of residence, and knowledge score of COVID-19 and 92.4% participants wore masks while going out which significantly differed across gender. Conclusion. There is a need to provide education and awareness about COVID-19 to Nepalese people focusing on the areas of knowledge gap so that Nepal can have victory against COVID-19.

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“…Only 2597(72.4%) participants knew that there is currently no available treatment; this is higher than a Kenyan study (40%) but signi cantly lower than a Chinese study (94%). (12,15) A minority 103(2.9%) participants thought there was a vaccine available against COVID-19; by contrast, Coimbatore District (18.6%) and Pakistan (11.6%) were misinformed. In the absence of a vaccine or effective treatment protocol for COVID-19, controlling the spread of the disease is the best line of defense.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(6,11) While some studies have been conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices among populations during this pandemic, none have done so in Syria. (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) To our knowledge this rst study that aims to measure the awareness and general knowledge of COVID-19 among the Syrian population at a time where ambiguity and misinformation are rampant. The objective of this study is to gauge speci c knowledge around clinical features, transmission pathways, and prevention methods, and to identify factors associated with poor knowledge to help facilitate outbreak management in Syria during this rapid global rise of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Crisis within a Crisis: COVID-19 Knowledge and Awareness among the Syrian Population—A National Survey Assessment

Mohsen

Bakkar

Armashi

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: COVID-19 is an infectious respiratory disease that emerged from a wet market in Wuhan China and quickly exploded into a global pandemic. This coronavirus has overwhelmed public health systems worldwide, and forced governments to impose draconian lockdowns of entire populations. With no vaccine or treatment to date, it is of paramount importance to assess the public’s awareness about COVID-19 so that knowledge gaps among the population can be targeted with prevention-focused educational campaigns. The aim of this study is to examine the Syrian public’s awareness and knowledge regarding COVID-19. Methods: This web-based cross-sectional study was distributed randomly in March 2020, nearly 10 year into the Syrian war crisis. The survey consists of a series of questions about socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of the causative agent, incubation period, treatment, transmission pathways, clinical features, and prevention methods. Data was analysed using the statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0.Results: Of the 3586 participants, 68.2% were females, 50.8% were unemployed, and 79.2% were at college-educated. The study revealed good awareness regarding COVID-19 (mean 75.6%, SD±9.4%). Multiple linear regression analysis correlated knowledge scores with gender, education level, occupation, economic status, and the number of household members.Conclusion: This study revealed some potentially troubling knowledge gaps which underscore the need for a vigorous public education campaign. This campaign must reinforce the public's awareness, knowledge, and vigilance towards precautionary measures against COVID-19 and, most importantly aid in controlling the worldwide spread of the disease.

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COVID-19 related knowledge, attitudes, practices and needs of households in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract: DISCLAIMER This paper was submitted to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization and was posted to the COVID-19 open site, according to the protocol for public health emergencies for international concern as described in Vasee Moorthy et al. (

Cited by 144 publications

References 31 publications

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and the effects of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among young people in Kenya

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and the effects of COVID-19 on health seeking behaviors among young people in Kenya

Knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among Nepalese residents during the COVID-19 outbreak: An online cross-sectional study

A Crisis within a Crisis: COVID-19 Knowledge and Awareness among the Syrian Population—A National Survey Assessment

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