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Knowledge, Attitude, and Prevention Practices Toward Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and
Abebaw Gedef Azene1, Mekuanint Simeneh Workie2, Abiba Mihret Aragaw3
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Insights
This study found low COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices in Ethiopia. Public health strategies need revision, particularly in the Amhara region, to improve understanding and adherence to safety measures.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a significant global health crisis.
- Ethiopia has seen varied findings on COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the pooled status of knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices regarding COVID-19 in Ethiopia.
- To identify areas for public health intervention.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of international and national electronic databases.
- Inclusion of all observational studies on COVID-19 KAP in Ethiopia.
- Random-effects meta-analysis to estimate pooled proportions.
Main Results:
- Analysis of 13 studies from an initial 206 identified.
- Pooled adequate knowledge was 70.25%, good attitude was 69.08%, and good prevention practice was 41.62%.
- The Amhara region showed the lowest pooled proportion for KAP.
Conclusions:
- Low proportions of adequate knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 were observed in Ethiopia.
- Urgent need to revise public health plans and policies to enhance COVID-19 KAP.
- Targeted interventions are crucial for regions like Amhara.
Background:
Coronavirus disease is a major global public health problem. The contagious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic following the outbreak of cases of respiratory illness during 2019. Although studies assessed COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice in Ethiopia the findings were highly variable and inconsistent.
Objectives:
This study assessed the pooled status of knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices regarding COVID-19 in Ethiopia.
Methods:
International and national electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Google, were systematically searched. All observational studies on COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices in Ethiopia were included. We assessed heterogeneity among the included studies using the Cochrane Q test statistics and I 2 test. Lastly, a random-effects meta-analysis model was fitted to estimate the pooled proportion of knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia.
Results:
Our search identified 206 studies, 13 of which were included in the final analysis. Adequate knowledge, good attitude, and good prevention practice toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia were observed in 70.25% (95% CI, 61.82%-78.02%), 69.08% (95% CI, 55.42%-81.24%), and 41.62% (95% CI, 27.77%-56.17%) of total participants across studies, respectively.
Conclusions:
The results of this study revealed low proportions of adequate knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia. The lowest pooled proportion was observed in the Amhara region. These findings indicate the need to revise plans and policies to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices of people toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia, especially in the Amhara region. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2021; 82:XXX-XXX) © 2021 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.
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