Hostname: page-component-5f745c7db-rgzdr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-06T06:43:58.871Z Has data issue: true hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Misconceptions About COVID-19 and Associated Factors Among Residents of Dilla Town, Southern Ethiopia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2022

Berhanu Gidisa Debela Open the ORCID record for Berhanu Gidisa Debela [Opens in a new window] ,
Habtamu Endashaw Hareru Open the ORCID record for Habtamu Endashaw Hareru [Opens in a new window] ,
Getachew Assefa Zenebe Open the ORCID record for Getachew Assefa Zenebe [Opens in a new window]  and
Abdene Weya Kaso Open the ORCID record for Abdene Weya Kaso [Opens in a new window]
Berhanu Gidisa Debela*
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
Habtamu Endashaw Hareru
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
Getachew Assefa Zenebe
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
Abdene Weya Kaso
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
*
Corresponding author: Berhanu Gidisa Debela, Email: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Despite the implementation of various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control strategies, the rate of COVID-19 is alarmingly increasing in Ethiopia as well as worldwide. The success of COVID-19 prevention measures is highly influenced by a lack of knowledge and misconceptions. This study aimed to assess misconceptions about COVID-19 and associated factors among residents of Dilla Town, southern Ethiopia.

Methods:

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 1 to 30, 2020. Data were collected from 415 individuals using structured interviewer-based questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the relationship between the dependent and independent variables.

Results:

The proportion of respondents who have a high misconception about COVID-19 was 41.1%. Study participants who had poor knowledge were 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-3.8) times more likely to have a misconception about COVID-19 than their counterparts. Respondents who had access to information from more than 2 sources were 3.29 (with 95% CI: 1.2-9.2) times less likely to have a misconception about COVID-19 when compared with those who had access to 2 or fewer information sources.

Conclusions:

A significant proportion of people have misconceptions about COVID-19 in the study area. To resolve these misconceptions, health sectors and stakeholders need to improve the residents’ knowledge by delivering COVID-19–related information from credible sources on a routine basis.

Keywords

misconceptionCOVID 19factorssouthern Ethiopia
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e273
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Hageman, JR. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Pediatr Ann. 2020;49:e99-e100. doi: 10.3928/19382359-20200219-01 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Worldometer. COVID-19 coronovirus pandemic. Accessed January 15, 2020. http://www.worldometer.info/coronovirus/ Google Scholar
Deribe, K. (2020) ‘COVID-19 in Ethiopia: status and responses’, blog post, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Accessed July 26, 2020. https://rstmh.org/news-blog/news/covid-19-in-ethiopiastatus-and-responses Google Scholar
Cao, X. COVID-19: immunopathology and its implications for therapy. Nat Rev Immunol. 2020;20(5):269-270. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-020-0308-3 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Al-Hanawi, MK, Angawi, K, Alshareef, N, et al. Knowledge, attitude and practice toward COVID-19 among the public in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. Front Public Health. 2020;8:217. doi: 10.3389/fpubh CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Singh, A, Purohit, BM, Bhambal, A, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding infection control measures among dental students in Central India. J Dent Educ. 2011;75(3):421-427. doi: 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2011.75.3.tb05055.x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kasperson, RE, Kasperson, JX. The social amplification and attenuation of risk. Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci. 1996;545:95-105. doi: 10.1177/0002716296545001010 Google Scholar
Choudhry, FR, Mani, V, Ming, LC, et al. Beliefs and perception about mental health issues: a meta-synthesis. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2016;12:2807-2818. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S111543 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Champion, VL, Skinner, CS. The Health Belief Model. Health Behaviour and Health Education; Theory, Research, and Practice. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2008:45-65.Google Scholar
Aminu, J. The implications of misconceptions about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in relation to its daily increases from Nigerian perspective. J Infect Dis Epidemiol. 2020;6:156. doi: 10.23937/2474-3658/1510156 Google Scholar
World Health Organization. Warns of coronavirus 'infodemic’ - an epidemic of too much information. Accessed February 20, 2020. https://www.who.int/news/item/23-09-2020-managing-the-covid-19-infodemic-promoting-healthy-behaviours-and-mitigating-the-harm-from-misinformation-and-disinformation Google Scholar
World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public: Myth busters (Online). Accessed January 30, 2022. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters Google Scholar
Wang, C, Cheng, Z, Yue, X-G, et al. Risk management of COVID-19 by universities in China. J Risk Financ Manage. 2020;13(2):36. doi: 10.3390/jrfm13020036 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tabong, PT-N, Misconceptions, Segtub M., misinformation and politics of COVID-19 on social media: a multi-level analysis in Ghana. Front Commun. 2021;6:613794. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.613794.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mekonnen, HS, Azagew, AW, Wubneh, CA, et al. Community’s misconception about COVID-19 and its associated factors among Gondar town residents, Northwest Ethiopia. Trop Med Health. 2020;48(1):1-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bakebillah Md, Billah Md Arif, Wubishet, BL, et al. Community’s misconception about COVID-19 and its associated factors in Satkhira, Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study. PLoS One. 2021;16(9):e0257410.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tabish, S. COVID-19 pandemic: the crisis and the longer-term perspectives. J Cardiol Curr Res. 2020;13(2):41-44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization. Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) readiness and response to the 2019 novel coronaviruses (2019- nCoV): interim guidance, 19 March 2020. Accessed February 20, 2020. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/risk-communication-and-community-engagement-readiness-and-initial-response-for-novel-coronaviruses Google Scholar
Sabah, D. Facts vs myths: 10 common misconceptions about COVID-19 and corona virus debunked. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.dailysabah.com/life/health/facts-vs-myths-10-common-misconceptions-about-covid-19-and-coronavirus-debunked Google Scholar
Central Statistics Agency of Ethiopia (CSA). Population projection based on 2007 census. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://www.statsethiopia.gov.et/population-projection/ Google Scholar
Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC). Common myths & misconceptions regarding COVID-19. Accessed February 10, 2021. https://abcardio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ABC-COVID-19-Myths-and-Misconceptions.pdf Google Scholar
Lee, H, Moon, SJ, Ndombi, GO, et al. COVID-19 perception, knowledge, and preventive practice: comparison between South Korea, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Afr J Reprod Health. 2020;24(2):66-77.Google ScholarPubMed
Girma, S, Agenagnew, L, Beressa, G, et al. Risk perception and precautionary health behavior toward COVID-19 among health professionals working in selected public university hospitals in Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2020;15(10):e0241101.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kebede, Y, Yitayih, Y, Birhanu, Z, et al. Knowledge, perceptions and preventive practices towards COVID-19 early in the outbreak among Jimma University Medical Center visitors, Southwest Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2020;15(5):e0233744.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCormick, JB. How should a research ethicist combat false beliefs and therapeutic misconception risk in biomedical research? AMA J Ethics. 2018;20(11):E1100-E1106.Google ScholarPubMed
Baig, M, Jameel, T, Alzahrani, SH, et al. Predictors of misconceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of Saudi population. PLoS One. 2020;5(12):e0243526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obi, CG, Fozeu, LF, Ezaka, EI, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and misconceptions towards COVID-19 among Sub-Sahara Africans. Eur J Environ Public Health. 2022;6(1):em0101.Google Scholar
Eyeberu, A, Mengistu, DA, Negash, B, et al. Community risk perception and health-seeking behavior in the era of COVID-19 among adult residents of Harari regional state, eastern Ethiopia. SAGE Open Med. 2021;9. doi: 10.1177/20503121211036132 Google ScholarPubMed
Feleke, A, Adane, M, Embrandiri, A, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and misconceptions about COVID-19 prevention practices among high and preparatory school students in Dessie City, Ethiopia. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2022;15:1035-1055.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization. Managing epidemics: key facts about major deadly diseases. WHO: Geneva. 2018. Accessed March 8,2021. https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/managing-epidemics-key-facts-about-major-deadly-diseases Google Scholar