Awareness and Practices of Rural Mothers Regarding COVID-19 Prevention and their Role in Protecting their Families

Samia E Khaton

doi:10.21608/tsnj.2021.171325

Abstract

Background:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infection that becomes a pandemic health problem. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and preventive practices of rural motherstowards COVID-19 and their role to protect their family members. Study Design Setting: descriptive study design was carried out in the Kafrcella-Elbab village, Elsanta district, Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: All mothers attending rural health unit for a six weeks for any reason were included. A convenience sample of 500 mothers were selected. Tool: Interview questionnaire tool was developed by the researcher it contain four Parts,socio-demographic characteristics, mothers knowledge, attitudes and practices Results: about two thirds of the studied mothers had good knowledge and positive attitudes about COVID-19 and half of them had satisfactory practices.More than half of the mothers follow initiatives to protect their family members. Conclusion and recommendations: Nearly two thirds of the studied mothers had good knowledge and positive attitude scores and about one half of them had satisfactory practices score that helps in disease prevention and limit its spread. However half of them had unsatisfactory practices. So the study recommended that there is a necessity to improve the rural mothers practices, awareness and attitude toward this pandemic disease and conduct mass education to convey a message that anyone can catch the disease and the only chance is that following healthy protective practices and life style from all family members.

Highlights

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19) is an emerging public health threat nowadays
Tool: Interview questionnaire tool was developed by the researcher it contain four Parts,socio-demographic characteristics, mothers knowledge, attitudes and practices Results: about two thirds of the studied mothers had good knowledge and positive attitudes about COVID-19 and half of them had satisfactory practices.More than half of the mothers follow initiatives to protect their family members
Nearly two thirds of the studied mothers had good knowledge and positive attitude scores and about one half of them had satisfactory practices score that helps in disease prevention and limit its spread

Summary

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID -19) is an emerging public health threat nowadays. World Health Organization (WHO) reported COVID-19 as an emergency international concern on January 30 in 2020 and called for collaborative efforts of all countries to prevent the rapid spread of it (1).COVID 19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome, novel coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) (2). On 13th September 2020 WHO reported Over 28 637 952 cases of COVID-19 and 917 417 deaths worldwide (4).Egypt's Ministry of Health, announced the first case in the country on 14 February 2020. In late June there were 53,758 confirmed cases reported in Egypt (6). In late November the confirmed cases reaches to 114475 from which 102268 recovered from the disease and 6596 deaths(7). Most of cases experience only mild illness ; it can cause severe fatal illness in some people. The elderly and people with chronic medical conditions (e.g. hypertension, cardiac diseases and diabetes) are more vulnerable (8)

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