COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING, PERCEPTION AND PRACTICES ON INFECTION PREVENTION FROM THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19): A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN RURAL BANGLADESH

Abstract

The current study had tried to assess the rural community's understanding, perception and practices on infection prevention to protect from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a qualitative study using eight focus group discussions (FGDs) and 40 in-depth interviews (IDIs). Manual content analysis processes were used. The respondents had good understanding of COVID-19 but had limited knowledge of its spreading, symptom and prevention. Community health workers and adolescents were found to be more aware of COVID-19 issues. Pregnant women and their guardians had limited knowledge and practices on COVID-19 prevention. Ignorance and negligence were identified as the major causes of lack of perception and lack of practices on COVID-19 among them. The adolescents acquired many ideas from the internet, peer learning and also from their teachers. The community leaders received knowledge from the news on television and the internet and local authority meetings. All the participants emphasized delivering messages through public announcements and leaflet distribution. The community women had very limited knowledge, perception and practices on COVID-19.  Conclusion: Policymakers and health care providers should use common man’s language to disseminate the COVID-19 related information. Logistic gaps emerge as the main constraint for preventive measures for COVID-19