Knowledge of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors among waiters working in food and drinking establishments in Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Waiters working in different food and drinking establishments have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and transmitting the infection to others because they interact with many people. Most COVID-19 related studies in Ethiopia mainly focused on the general population, whereas, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of COVID-19 and preventive behaviors among waiters in Southwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1 to June 15, 2020, among waiters working in food and drinking establishments found in Mizan-Aman, Jemu, and Masha towns in Southwest Ethiopia. A total of 422 waiters were selected using a simple random sampling technique, and the data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The data were entered into Epi-data manager version 4.0.2 and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify predictors of good preventive behaviors at a p-value of less than 0.05. Results Four hundred and sixteen respondents participated in this study, with a response rate of 98.6%. A significant proportion of participants know the cause, route of transmission, symptoms, and prevention methods of COVID-19 virus. However, very few (21.2%) had good preventive behaviors. The study showed that good preventive behavior was positively associated with female sex (AOR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.38–3.94), higher schooling (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.17–0.88), high-risk perception (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.51–4.32), and high perceived self-efficacy (AOR = 1.1.75, 95% CI: 1.05–2.90). Conclusions A significant proportion of waiters know common symptoms of COVID 19, route of transmission, and its prevention methods. However, the preventive behavior was very low. Thus, all concerned bodies working on the prevention and control of COVID-19 should give attention to this population group to enhance compliance with recommended preventive behaviors.

Attitude, preparedness, and perceived self-efficacy in controlling COVID-19 pandemics and associated factors among university students during school reopening

“…Overall, the comprehensive high self-efficacy in COVID-19 prevention was 50.4%, 95% CI (46.5–54.1). This finding is consistent with the study reporting that 53.1% of study participants had high self-efficacy towards COVID-19 prevention measures in Southwest Ethiopia [ 7 ]. Besides, a study across five continents demonstrated a significant drop in self-efficacy beliefs from before to during the lockdown [ 28 ].…”

“…Data were collected through a self-administered technique using a structured questionnaire. The data collection tool was prepared by referring to previous studies [ 7 , 9 – 11 ] and was amended to fit the study population and research objectives. The instrument consisted of five parts: baseline characteristics, chronic illness, and exposure to COVID-19 infection, students’ attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention measures, preparedness to combat the spread of COVID-19, and perceived self-efficacy to control and prevent COVID-19.…”

“…Perceived self-efficacy to control COVID-19 pandemics was assessed using four items that were responded on a three-point Likert scale: "Agree (2 points)", "Neutral (1 point)", and "Disagree (0 points)". Based on the mean score, self-efficacy was categorized as high if scored above the mean and low if scored at the mean or below [ 7 ]. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the items were 0.69.…”

“…Strict follow-up of precaution measures, i.e., wearing a mask, sanitary measures, keeping physical distance, avoiding crowds, and keeping respiratory hygiene, are the fundamental strategies to control and prevent pandemics. Student’s adherence to the precaution measures predominantly relies on their attitude, preparedness, and self-efficacy towards the COVID-19 [ 7 ]. These enhance individual self-protection behaviours, willingness to cooperate, and adopt new preventive measures, which positively influences the efforts to prevent infectious transmission.…”

A Longitudinal Analysis of Handwashing and Mask-Wearing During COVID-19

“…An individual's perception of risk to themselves and their selfefficacy in addressing that risk influence the uptake of health preventive behaviors (Jørgensen et al, 2020). Fear is one part of an individual's analysis of risk, and subsequent health behaviors in the COVID-19 pandemic such as handwashing, mask-wearing, and physical distancing are enhanced by feelings of fear (Harper et al, 2020;Jørgensen et al, 2020;Qanche et al, 2021).…”