Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures in Sub-Saharan Africa during the 1st year of the pandemic: Pooled analysis of the International Citizen Project on COVID-19 (ICPCovid) surveys

The impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on neonatal health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To assess the relationship between COVID-19 mitigation measures and stillbirth, low birth weight (LBW), and preterm birth (PTB) in sub-Saharan Africa.

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review/meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched six databases for literature indexed from January 2020 to December 2022 for studies examining COVID-19 policies and neonatal outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. These studies were assessed for their risk of bias and described via narrative synthesis. Meta-analysis with random effects was performed to generate risk ratios (RRs) that were stratified by study scope to explore heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Our search identified 515 unique studies, sixteen of which were included. Most studies were multi-/single-center examinations (n = 7) and national/regional investigations (n = 6). The stillbirth RR suggested a marginal increase during mitigation measures (RR: 1.13; 95 % CI: 0.97, 1.31); however, among national/regional studies, there was no increase (RR: 0.96; 95 % CI: 0.82, 1.14). Similarly, the LBW RR suggested an increase during mitigation measures (RR: 1.18; 95 % CI: 0.90, 1.56), but the RR among national/regional investigations indicated no increase (RR: 0.97; 95 % CI: 0.91, 1.04). For PTB, the RR indicated no increase during mitigation measures (RR: 1.00; 95 % CI: 0.94, 1.07); there were no differences between multi-/single-center examinations and national/regional investigations.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that outcome risk did not change after mitigation measures were imposed when focusing on national/regional investigations and provide insights for both African health officials and researchers.

Hand Hygiene Compliance and Its Associated Factors Among Health Care Workers at Mogadishu Somali Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background

Hand hygiene is a critical preventive measure for controlling infections, particularly in underdeveloped nations.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, from January to March 2024. This study aimed to assess compliance with hand hygiene practices and related factors among healthcare professionals.

Results

The study population comprised 52% men and 47.3% women. Most participants held bachelor's degrees, with the majority being nurses or midwives. A significant proportion had over five years of work experience. Almost all participants were knowledgeable about hand hygiene. Most reported cleaning and drying their hands before, during, and after contact with bodily fluids during aseptic procedures. Age, gender, educational status, marriage, working experience, type of occupation, receiving hand hygiene training and knowledge, and having the availability of water, soap, alcohol, and gloves significantly affected the overall uptake of infection control measures in Mogadishu (p<0.05).

Conclusion

The findings highlight an urgent need for targeted interventions to enhance hand hygiene practices in Somalia. Addressing training gaps and resource shortages is crucial for reducing infection rates and safeguarding patient health in this high-risk setting.

Assessing factors associated with compliance to preventive measures of COVID-19 in Rwanda: a cross-sectional community survey

OBJECTIVE

To assess the level of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures and compliance-associated factors in the Rwanda community.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTINGS

Country-wide community survey in Rwanda.

PARTICIPANTS

4763 participants were randomly sampled following the sampling frame used for the recent Rwanda Demographic Health Survey. Participants were aged between 22 years and 94 years.

OUTCOMES

The participants' compliance with three preventive measures (wearing a face mask, washing hands and social distancing) was the main outcome.

METHODS

From 14 February 2022 to 27 February 2022, a cross-sectional survey using telephone calls was conducted. Study questionnaires included different questions such as participants' demographics and compliance with COVID-19 preventives measures. Verbal consent was obtained from each participant. The compliance on three main preventive measures (wearing a mask, washing hands and social distancing) were the main outcomes. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate factors associated with compliance (age, gender, level of education, socioeconomic status).

RESULTS

Compliance with the three primary preventive measures (washing hands 98%, wearing a mask 97% and observing social distance 98%) was at a rate of 95%. The respondents' mean age was 46±11 SD (range 22-98) years. In addition, 69% were female and 86% had attended primary education. Bivariate and regression analyses indicated a significant association among the three primary preventive measures (p<0.05). The results showed factors associated significantly between the different models (p<0.05): proper mask use and social distancing in the hand washing model; hand washing, social distancing, avoiding handshakes and not attending gatherings in the proper mask use model; hand washing and avoiding handshakes in the social distancing model.

CONCLUSION

Compliance with the three key preventive measures against COVID-19 was high in the Rwandan community and these measures were interdependent. Therefore, the importance of all three measures should be emphasised for effective disease control.

Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among residents in selected townships, Yangon Region, Myanmar: a community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

To fight the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries have implemented various mitigation measures to contain the spread of the disease. By engaging with health service providers, the community's participation in adherence to preventive measures is certainly required in the implementation of COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and its associated factors among the residents, Yangon Region, Myanmar.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 636 residents in Yangon Region, Myanmar, from October to December 2021. A multistage non-probability sampling method, purposively selected for three townships in Yangon Region and convenience sampling for 212 participants from each township, was applied and the data were collected by face-to-face interviews using structured and pretested questionnaires. Data were entered, coded, and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Simple and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the significant variables of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures.

RESULTS

As a level of adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures, the proportion of residents who had good adherence was 39.3% (95% CI 35.5-43.2%), moderate adherence was 37.6% (95% CI 33.8-41.5%), and poor adherence was 23.1% (95% CI 19.9-26.6%). The age group of 31-40 years (AOR: 3.13, 95% CI 1.62-6.05), 30 years and younger (AOR: 3.22, 95% CI 1.75-5.92), Burmese ethnicity (AOR: 2.52, 95% CI 1.44-4.39), own business (AOR: 3.19, 95% CI 1.15-8.87), high school education level and below (AOR: 1.64, 95% CI 1.02-2.69), less than 280.90 USD of monthly family income (AOR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.29), low knowledge about COVID-19 (AOR: 1.90, 95% CI 1.26-2.88) were significantly associated with poor adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, nearly one-fourth of the residents were experiencing poor adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures. Therefore, building up the risk communication through the community using widely used mainstream media, the continuation of disease surveillance and announcement of updated information or advice for the public to increase awareness towards COVID-19, and enforcement to follow the recommended directions and regulations of health institutions are vital to consider for improving the adherence to preventive measures against COVID-19 among the residents.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on behavioral changes in healthcare workers in Italy

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to wearing face mask and washing hands procedures and achieving high COVID-19 vaccine coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) were essential to minimize morbidity and possible death and limit the transmission of the virus. The objectives of the cross-sectional survey were to explore the influence of COVID-19 on the use of preventive measures and vaccination willingness among HCWs in the southern part of Italy and the associated factors.

Methods

The survey was carried out from 15 June 2023 to 15 July 2023 among 521 HCWs who worked in three randomly selected public hospitals. All data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire.

Results

HCWs had a positive change in the use of preventive measures if they did not often/always use them before the pandemic, but they are using in the current epidemiologic context and they were willing to use in a future epidemic situation. A positive change in the adherence to face mask-wearing (24.6%) was more likely among those with at least 5 years of university degree, nurses/midwives, and who had worked in COVID-19 wards. A positive change in alcohol-based hand rubbing (3.1%) was more likely in HCWs in Emergency/Critical/Infectious Diseases wards compared with medical wards. HCWs who were more likely to believe that the COVID-19 vaccine should be mandatory for them (58.1%) had at least 5 years of university degree, in Emergency/Critical/Infectious Diseases wards compared with surgical and medical wards, had received more than three doses of this vaccine, were more concerned to get infected during their activity, and had received information from scientific journals. HCWs more willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine every year (39.8%) were males, physicians, those in Emergency/Critical/Infectious Diseases wards compared with medical wards, who had received more than three doses of this vaccine, who believed that this vaccine should be mandatory for HCWs, and who needed additional information.

Discussion

The survey showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the use of preventive measures among HCWs, not necessarily for the improvement or increase. Educational messages on the importance of these measures regarding the promotion and recommendation of the vaccine need to be investigated and applied among HCWs in order to reduce vaccination gaps and the spread of the infection.

Predictors of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Willingness among High-Risk Populations Three Years after the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

High-risk populations are at increased risk of severe influenza-related illness, hospitalization, and death due to influenza. The aim of our study was to assess the willingness of high-risk populations to take the influenza vaccine for the 2022-2023 season, and to investigate the factors associated with such willingness. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Greece in September 2022 using a convenience sample. We considered demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related variables, resilience, social support, anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-related burnout as potential predictors. Among participants, 39.4% were willing to accept the seasonal influenza vaccine, 33.9% were unwilling, and 26.8% were hesitant. Multivariable analysis identified that increased age and increased family support were associated with increased influenza vaccination willingness. Moreover, participants that have received COVID-19 booster doses were more willing to accept the influenza vaccine. In contrast, adverse effects because of COVID-19 vaccination and exhaustion due to measures against COVID-19 reduced influenza vaccination willingness. We found that the intention of high-risk populations to receive the influenza vaccine was low. Our study contributes to an increased understanding of the factors that affect vaccination willingness. Public health authorities could use this information to update vaccination programs against influenza. Emphasis should be given on safety and effectiveness issues.