Moving from rhetoric to action: how Africa can use scientific evidence to halt the COVID-19 pandemic

Olu, Olushayo Oluseun; Waya, Joy Luba Lomole; Maleghemi, Sylvester; Rumunu, John; Ameh, David; Wamala, Joseph F.

doi:10.1186/s40249-020-00740-0

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…SBC interventions should therefore couple a focus on ideational factors such as attitudes, perceptions, and norms with large-scale investments in infrastructure to strengthen the enabling environment for individuals to practice handwashing sustainably. There remains significant potential to advocate for greater investment in infrastructure and commitment to structural changes to improve access to water and handwashing at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic [39][40][41].…”

Section: Plos Global Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in handwashing behaviours for COVID-19 prevention: Longitudinal evidence from online surveys in 10 sub-Saharan African countries

Olapeju

Hendrickson

Rosen

et al. 2021

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Handwashing is essential for respiratory virus prevention, but uptake of handwashing in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains under-explored. This study examines trends in and determinants of handwashing practices for COVID-19 prevention in 10 countries in West, East, and Southern Africa. Data are derived from an online global Facebook survey assessing COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices, fielded in July (Round 1) and November 2020 (Round 2). Adults ≥18 years (N = 29,964) were asked if they practiced handwashing with soap and water in the past week to prevent COVID-19. Design-corrected F-statistics compared knowledge and practice of handwashing, at country and regional levels, between survey rounds. A country-level fixed-effects logistic regression model then identified socio-demographic and ideational correlates of handwashing at Round 2. Most participants were >30 years-old, men, post-secondary educated, and urban residents. Between survey rounds, handwashing prevalence declined significantly across regions and in each country, from a 14% decline (Δ84%–70%) in Tanzania to a 3% decline (Δ92%–89%) in South Africa. Handwashing was higher among participants aged >30 years (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 1.25, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.15–1.35) and with post-secondary education (aOR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.49–1.77) but lower among men (aOR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.64–0.78). Ideational factors associated with handwashing included perceived effectiveness of handwashing (aOR = 2.17, 95%CI: 2.00–2.36), knowing someone diagnosed with COVID-19 (aOR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.18–1.40), and perceived importance of personal action for COVID-19 prevention (aOR = 2.93; 95%CI: 2.60–3.31). Adjusting for socio-demographic and ideational factors, country-level marginal probabilities of handwashing ranged from 67% in Tanzania to 91% in South Africa in Round 2. COVID-19 prevention messages should stress the importance of handwashing, coupled with mask use and physical distancing, for mitigating respiratory disease transmission. Behaviour change communications should be sensitive to resource heterogeneities in African countries, which shape opportunities for sustainable handwashing behaviours.

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Section: Plos Global Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in handwashing behaviours for COVID-19 prevention: Longitudinal evidence from online surveys in 10 sub-Saharan African countries

Olapeju

Hendrickson

Rosen

et al. 2021

PLOS Glob Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The complacency is now visible everywhere, making it an avenue for contact transmission of the virus 75 . Similarly, while hand washing is easily applicable to middle-and high-income countries, the same cannot be assumed for the African context where water access is still a challenge 76,77 . The same is true with the wearing of face masks whose use was also found to be low 78 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, risk-perception, and uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Matovu¹,

Mulyowa²,

Akorimo³

et al. 2022

Afr H. Sci.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has almost affected the entire globe and is currently in a resurgent phase within the sub-Saharan African region. Objective: This paper presents results from a scoping review of literature on knowledge, risk-perception, conspiracy theories and uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We used the following search terms: ‘COVID-19’, ‘knowledge’, ‘perceptions’, ‘perspectives’, ‘misconceptions’, ‘conspiracy theories’, ‘practices’ and ‘sub-Saharan Africa’. Basing on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, we identified 466 articles for review; 36 articles met the inclusion criteria. We extracted data on knowledge, risk-perception, conspiracy theories and uptake of COVID-19 primary prevention measures. Results: Knowledge of COVID-19 was high (91.3-100%) and associated with age and education; risk-perception was equally high (73.3-86.9%) but varied across studies. Uptake of hand-washing with water and soap or hand-sanitizing ranged between 63-96.4%, but wearing of face masks and social distancing fared poorly (face masks: 2.7%-37%; social distancing: 19-43%). Conclusion: While knowledge of COVID-19 is nearly universal, uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures remains sub-optimal to defeat the pandemic. These findings suggest a need for continued health promotion to increase uptake of the recommended COVID-19 prevention measures in sub-Saharan Africa. Keywords: COVID-19; prevention; sub-Saharan Africa.

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Modelling the Influence of Dynamic Social Processes on COVID-19 Infection Dynamics

et al. 2023

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Human behaviour was tipped as the mainstay in the control of further SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spread, especially after the lifting of restrictions by many countries. Countries in which restrictions were lifted soon after the first wave had subsequent waves of COVID-19 infections. In this study, we develop a deterministic model for COVID-19 that includes dynamic non-pharmaceutical interventions known as social dynamics with the goal of simulating the effects of dynamic social processes. The model steady states are determined and their stabilities analysed. The model has a disease-free equilibrium point that is locally asymptotically stable if R0<1. The model exhibits a backward bifurcation, implying that reducing the reproduction number below one is not sufficient for the elimination of the disease. To ascertain the range of parameters that affect social dynamics, numerical simulations are conducted. The only wave in South Africa in which interventions were purely based on human behavior was the first wave. The model is thus fitted to COVID-19 data on the first wave in South Africa, and the findings given in this research have implications for the trajectory of the pandemic in the presence of evolving societal processes. The model presented has the potential to impact how social processes can be modelled in other infectious disease models.

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Moving from rhetoric to action: how Africa can use scientific evidence to halt the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

Trends in handwashing behaviours for COVID-19 prevention: Longitudinal evidence from online surveys in 10 sub-Saharan African countries

Trends in handwashing behaviours for COVID-19 prevention: Longitudinal evidence from online surveys in 10 sub-Saharan African countries

Knowledge, risk-perception, and uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Modelling the Influence of Dynamic Social Processes on COVID-19 Infection Dynamics

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