Community Level of COVID-19 Information Exposure and Influencing Factors in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging respiratory infection, and the crisis has become a worldwide issue, and society has become concerned in various aspects. Good information exposure related to transmission, prevention, and risk factors of COVID-19 can be the best means to reduce the risk of disease exposure and mitigate further spread. The countries that have well practiced this strategy (society information exposure) were controlling disease progression, but there is a low practice in sub-Saharan countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the information exposure level about COVID-19 and influencing factors among northwest community of Ethiopia.

Methods and Materials

Community-based cross-sectional study design was employed among the community of Gondar city from April 20 to 27, 2020. A total of 623 study participants were involved in this interview, and a systematic sampling technique was applied to select the households. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. A multivariable binary logistic regression was employed to identify factors associated with good information exposure about COVID-19. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated to show the strength of association. A p-value <0.05 was a cut-off point to declare statistical significance.

Results

The overall rate of information exposure about COVID-19 was 44.9%. Age 18–26 years [AOR=0.53; 95% CI (0.28–0.99)] and 34–45 years [AOR=0.44; 95% CI (0.24–0.80)], elementary school [AOR=2.48; 95% CI (1.20–5.15)], secondary school [AOR=3.98; 95% CI (1.99–7.99)], college and above [AOR=8.38; 95% CI (4.10–17.26)], browsed or follow social media [AOR=2.21; 95% CI (1.44–3.38)] and those having a discussion with their family members [AOR=2.37; 95% CI (1.44–3.90)] and friends [AOR=2.15; 95% CI (1.38–3.34)] were the factors significantly associated with good information exposure towards COVID-19.

Conclusion

Communities total level of good information exposure from different information platforms about COVID-19 in this study area remains low. Age, high level of education, browsing social media, and those having interpersonal (family and friends) discussion were the factors that significantly influence communities who have good information exposure related to COVID-19. Therefore, efforts on community mobilization through regional/national mass media and other information conveying platforms are recommended.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• information exposure
• Northwest Ethiopia

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Gondar city health office for permitting to conduct the study and providing the necessary preliminary information while conducting this study. We would also like to thank the University of Gondar for its financial support for data collectors and supervisors. Finally, our special thanks should extend to data collectors, supervisors, and study participants.

Abbreviations

AOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; COVID-19, corona virus disease 19; COR, crude odds ratio; OR, odds ratio; SD, standard deviation; WHO, World Health Organization.

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of Gondar with Ref. No.: VP/RCS/05/1704/2020 and project number: 757/03/12. A letter of support was also obtained from the Gondar city administrative office. All study participants were informed about the objectives, risks, procedure, confidentiality issue of the study, and their right to participate or to withdraw at any time of the interview. Participation was on voluntary basis and written informed consent was obtained from each participant. The review board approved its ethical issues as there were no procedures that affect the study subject and used for research purpose. To show this, a one-page consent letter was attached to the cover page of each questionnaire stating about the confidentiality and the purpose of the study which was explained well by data collectors prior to the interview. Furthermore, appropriate COVID-19 prevention precautions were implemented during the data collection process. Data collectors provided necessary health education for the households on the identified gaps immediately after the interview has been completed. Lastly, we confirm that this study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for Publication

Not applicable.

Disclosure

The authors report that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the University of Gondar. However, the funder had no role in the study design, analysis, interpretation, writing, or decision to publish this manuscript.