Knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 among government employees in Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundIn the absence of effective treatments or vaccines, the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can be minimized by effectively implementing preventive measures. Knowledge and perceptions of the public about COVID-19 play a critical role in behavioral changes. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 as well as source of information about the disease among government employees.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 1,573 government employees from 46 public institutions located in Addis Ababa was undertaken from 8th to 19th June 2020. Paper-based self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection. ANOVA test and t-test were used to assess the difference between groups.ResultsThe respondents demonstrated very high knowledge of the cause of COVID-19 (93%), its main clinical symptoms (>90%), the main modes of transmission (89%), the main preventive measures (>90%). Almost all respondents reported that people with recent travel history (86.8%) or people who had contact with COVID-19 patients (93.5%) were the high-risk groups to be infected with coronavirus. In addition, more than half (50.9%) of the study participants reported that people without travel history nor had contact with confirmed cases are also most likely to be infected with the virus. About 84% of the respondents perceived that older adults and elderly were most at risk to die from COVID-19. Similarly, the majority of the respondents reported that adults with other underlying health problems (95.4%), cigarette smokers (88.1%) and substance users (87.5%) were more likely to die from the disease. An electronic media such as television (85.5%), social media (74.1%), online materials (71.1%) and radio (60.8%) constituted the primary sources of information about COVID-19, followed by healthcare workers (66.6%) and print materials (35.4%). Television (32.2%) and health workers (30.5%) constituted the most trusted sources of information related to COVID-19.ConclusionsThis study has showed higher level of knowledge and favorable perception among respondents about COVID-19. Knowledge and perceptions have great roles in behavioral change and efforts should be focused on improving the perceived susceptibility, severity, and benefits of preventive behavioral changes by providing timely and adequate information.

Knowledge and Practice Related to COVID-19 and Mental Health among Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…This result is similar to several other studies conducted in other countries, including those in the sub-Saharan African region. 37,38,[43][44][45][46] Our findings suggest higher knowledge than a study from Ethiopia and Nigeria that showed only one-third of adults had good knowledge. 47,48 This variation could be due to differences in the number and type of questions and the scoring mechanism used to assess knowledge.…”

“…Previous studies have suggested that an increased level of knowledge is associated with a higher level of protective behaviors that reduce the risk of adverse health conditions. 46,49 Because having accurate knowledge is key in the prevention and control of COVID-19, risk communication strategies should consider correcting misinformation associated with transmission and prevention modes. The high knowledge scores we observed on the three knowledge domains in this study could be the result of the different public health interventions that were implemented to create public awareness in the sub-Saharan region.…”

“…53,54 This survey also demonstrated that mainstream media (radio and television) were the main reported sources of information about the pandemic. 38,[44][45][46][47]55 Our study showed that, even though the majority of adults identified the recommended preventive measures in the knowledge assessment, the practice of these measures was poor, especially for keeping distance from sick people, avoiding social gatherings, and disinfecting contaminated surfaces. The practice of disinfecting surfaces is much lower in rural sites than in urban sies, which could be due to unaffordability, unavailability or access to disinfectants, or less attention given to the effect of disinfectants in preventing the transmission of the virus.…”

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

“…Gaps and negligence in applying the COVID-19 preventive measures among the public have been observed. 9 , 10 …”

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

“…Additionally, there is a significant gap in the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures among the public. 18 Therefore, to better control and overcome the devastating effects of COVID-19, the health communication and community’s knowledge, perception, and behavioral responses to COVID-19 outbreak should be assessed.…”