Evolution of the Population's Perception of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Town of Mbujimayi between the Beginning and the End of the Pandemic

Objective

To explore the evolution of the perception of the population of the city of Mbujimayi regarding the COVID-19 pandemic between its beginning and its end.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted from December 1 to 15, 2022 among the population of the City of Mbujimayi eligible for the inclusion criteria. The face-to-face interview technique with people using a structured questionnaire was used to collect information.

Results

345 subjects were interviewed, the majority of whom were female (56.52%), mostly single (51.3%). All of the subjects interviewed had already heard of COVID-19. The majority had been informed by radio/television (96.52%). At the start of the pandemic, 53.91% thought that COVID-19 was a mystical disease. At the end of the pandemic, 80.87% of respondents thought that COVID-19 was a disease with a well-defined cause. In relation to the origin at the beginning of the pandemic, 36.52% thought that the disease was transmitted by respiratory aerosol and 24.92% thought that the disease was sexually transmitted. At the end of the pandemic, 95.07% and 92.17% thought respectively that the disease was transmitted directly between humans and by respiratory aerosol. At the beginning of the pandemic, 80.57% thought that the application of barrier measures was difficult and 52.40% considered the application of barrier measures unnecessary. This situation completely changed at the end of the pandemic where 91.59% of respondents considered barrier measures easy to apply and only 9.56% of subjects persisted in believing that the application of barrier measures was of no importance. Considering the positivity towards Covid 19, 93.04% and 91.29% respectively believed that the case should be concealed, especially if it is a close relative, and that they should keep their distance. At the end of the pandemic, 94.19% and 68.41% respectively believed that the suspected case should be taken to the hospital or the emergency services should be called.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, the perception of the population of Mbujimayi towards Covid 19 has changed positively as reliable information reached the population.