Perception and experiences regarding COVID-19 pandemic among urban young adults in Bangladesh: a mixed-method study

Abstract

Aim This study aimed at exploring the perception and experiences with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic among Bangladeshi urban young adults. Subject and methods Using a mixed-method approach, an online cross-sectional survey among 315 participants and in-depth interviews (IDI) among 20 young adults were conducted from May 1 to May 25, 2020. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were performed for quantitative data, along with the thematic analysis for qualitative data. Results The mean (± SD) age of the participants was 26.54 (± 3.05), and the majority were male (54.9%). About 81.6% of the participants reported COVID-19 as a viral disease, transmitted through droplets of sneezing and coughing, and close contact with another person (90.8%). Nearly 40% of participants reported news channels as a reliable source of information for COVID-19. Participants who were male were less likely to be aware than females in terms of mode of transmission of COVID-19 such as going outside of the home (82.7% male vs 90.8% female; p < 0.05). Male participants thought they were perfectly healthy and more reluctant to agree with maintaining social distance compared to female participants (72.8% male vs 90.1% female; p < 0.001). Participant’s satisfaction level with services provided by the government was also significantly different and higher among females than male participants (39.9% male vs 53.5% female; p < 0.05). The majority of the participants reported suffering due to financial uncertainty, psychological distress, and inadequate health facilities. Dissatisfaction was reported with the existing health services as creating several misconceptions, lacking testing facilities, and debasement by the health professionals. Conclusion This study found a better perception regarding COVID-19 among the young adults, but they had poor preventive practices. Health education intervention with the rapid response should be implemented targeting this vulnerable group to improve their preventive practices.

A cross-sectional survey on COVID-19 knowledge and precautionary measures of the pharmacists and patients in community pharmacies

“…Actually, in Japan the COVID-19 positive cases were most reported in those in their 20's (132,490 cases) and 30's (89,672 cases) among all the generations, consisting of 36.9% of all the positive cumulative cases and the rate has increased to around 50% after April 2021 at the time point of May 5, 2021(MHLW, 2021. The finding of a poor precautionary practice regardless of a better knowledge in young generation corresponds to a previous study in Bangladesh (Pervez et al, 2021). Therefore, improving the practices in the young age patients may improve and lower the high incidence of COVID-19 infection in these age groups.…”

Factors Influencing Suicidal Behaviour among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from North India

“…Limited access to medical services was mentioned as a significant contributing reason for suicide behaviour during this outbreak by the majority of respondents (69.52%), which is consistent with findings from earlier studies (Raj et al 2021). According to additional research, the COVID-19 outbreak was brought on by a lack of healthcare facilities, and people also complained about the quality of the current medical services (Pervez et al 2021;Rahman et al 2020). In addition, our study found that bullying on social media increased the likelihood of suicidal conduct, and a prior study found a link between bullying victimization and suicidal behaviour (Garcia-Williams et al 2014).…”

Perception regarding health and barriers to seeking healthcare services among rural rickshaw pullers in Bangladesh: A qualitative exploration

“…In a previous study, rickshaw pullers explained their experience that the facilities and treatment provided to them in the government hospitals were not up to mark and not treated well ( Kumar et al., 2016 ). A previous study also revealed that even though most hospitals and health systems tend to recognize diagnostic errors as a serious safety concern, most organizations (even those that appear to be committed to patient safety) are still doing little to improve diagnosis ( Newman-toker et al., 2017 ), and dissatisfaction was also reported with the existing healthcare services in Bangladesh due to lack and not proper diagnostic testing facility ( Pervez et al., 2021 ). It is concerning that our study identified a substantial barrier that the existence and mastery of a broker (a person who serves as an intermediary) in hospitals frequently create barriers for patients seeking medical care.…”