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COVID-19 preventive practices, psychological distress, and reported barriers to healthcare access during the pandemic among adult community members in sub-Saharan Africa: a phone survey

ABSTRACT. The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious negative health and economic impacts in sub-Saharan Africa. Continuous monitoring of these impacts is crucial to formulate interventions to minimize the consequences of COVID-19. This study surveyed 2,829 adults in urban and rural sites among five sub-...

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Main Authors: Assefa, Nega (Author) , Abdullahi, Yasir Y. (Author) , Hemler, Elena C. (Author) , Lankoande, Bruno (Author) , Madzorera, Isabel (Author) , Wang, Dongqing (Author) , Ismail, Abbas (Author) , Chukwu, Angela (Author) , Workneh, Firehiwot (Author) , Mapendo, Frank (Author) , Millogo, Ourohiré (Author) , Abubakari, Sulemana Watara (Author) , Febir, Lawrence Gyabaa (Author) , Lyatuu, Isaac (Author) , Dianou, Kassoum (Author) , Bärnighausen, Till (Author) , Soura, Abdramane (Author) , Asante, Kwaku Poku (Author) , Smith, Emily (Author) , Vuai, Said (Author) , Worku, Alemayehu (Author) , Killewo, Japhet (Author) , Mwanyika-Sando, Mary (Author) , Berhane, Yemane (Author) , Sie, Ali (Author) , Tajudeen, Raji (Author) , Oduola, Ayo (Author) , Fawzi, Wafaie W. (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: 2023
In: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
Year: 2023, Volume: 108, Issue: 1, Pages: 124-136
ISSN:1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.22-0349
Online Access:Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.22-0349
Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/108/1/article-p124.xml
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Author Notes:Nega Assefa, Yasir Y. Abdullahi, Elena C. Hemler, Bruno Lankoande, Isabel Madzorera, Dongqing Wang, Abbas Ismail, Angela Chukwu, Firehiwot Workneh, Frank Mapendo, Ourohiré Millogo, Sulemana Watara Abubakari, Lawrence Gyabaa Febir, Isaac Lyatuu, Kassoum Dianou, Till Baernighausen, Abdramane Soura, Kwaku Poku Asante, Emily Smith, Said Vuai, Alemayehu Worku, Japhet Killewo, Mary Mwanyika-Sando, Yemane Berhane, Ali Sie, Raji Tajudeen, Ayo Oduola, and Wafaie W. Fawzi
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Summary:ABSTRACT. The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious negative health and economic impacts in sub-Saharan Africa. Continuous monitoring of these impacts is crucial to formulate interventions to minimize the consequences of COVID-19. This study surveyed 2,829 adults in urban and rural sites among five sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana. Participants completed a mobile phone survey that assessed self-reported sociodemographics, COVID-19 preventive practices, psychological distress, and barriers to healthcare access. A modified Poisson regression model was used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% CIs to investigate potential factors related to psychological distress and barriers to reduced healthcare access. At least 15.6% of adults reported experiencing any psychological distress in the previous 2 weeks, and 10.5% reported that at least one essential healthcare service was difficult to access 2 years into the pandemic. The majority of participants reported using several COVID-19 preventive methods, with varying proportions across the sites. Participants in the urban site of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (aPR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.74-3.03) and in the rural site of Kintampo, Ghana (aPR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.21-2.34) had a higher likelihood of experiencing any psychological distress compared with those in the rural area of Nouna, Burkina Faso. Loss of employment due to COVID-19 (aPR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.47-2.11) was also associated with an increased prevalence of psychological distress. The number of children under 5 years in the household (aPR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.14-1.33) and participant self-reported psychological distress (aPR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.48-2.27) were associated with an increased prevalence of reporting barriers to accessing health services, whereas wage employment (aPR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49-0.90) was associated with decreased prevalence of reporting barriers to accessing health services. Overall, we found a high prevalence of psychological distress and interruptions in access to healthcare services 2 years into the pandemic across five sub-Saharan African countries. Increased effort and attention should be given to addressing the negative impacts of COVID-19 on psychological distress. An equitable and collaborative approach to new and existing preventive measures for COVID-19 is crucial to limit the consequences of COVID-19 on the health of adults in sub-Saharan Africa.
Item Description:Online veröffentlicht: 12 Dec 2022
Gesehen am 21.04.2023
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1476-1645
DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.22-0349

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