Abstract
Background. Public markets were exempted from the restrictive regulations instituted to limit the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the early stage of the pandemic, we assessed people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior on public markets towards COVID-19. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study from 16 to 29 April 2020 among sellers and customers frequenting the food sections of ten public markets in three large cities (Kolwezi, Likasi, and Lubumbashi) and one small town (Lwambo) of the former Katanga province. We administered a questionnaire on knowledge (about clinical characteristics, transmission and prevention) and on attitudes in relation to COVID-19. We also observed prevailing practices (hand-washing and mask-wearing). Results: Of the 347 included participants (83% women, 83% sellers), most had low socioeconomic status and a low level of education. Only 30% of participants had correct knowledge of COVID-19. The majority of the respondents (88%) showed no confidence in the government’s ability to manage the upcoming pandemic crisis. Nearly all respondents (98%) were concerned about the associated increase in food insecurity. Preventive practices were rarely in place. Conclusion: For an effective implementation of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Africa, appropriate health education programs to improve knowledge and attitudes are warranted among the population frequenting public markets.
Highlights
In December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), started in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China [1]
An online study in the USA reported that, in response to COVID-19, 95.7% of respondents had made changes to their lifestyle, including hand-washing (93.1%), avoidance of social gatherings (89.0%), and stockpiling food and supplies (74.7%) [21]. It was beyond the scope of this study to address the numerous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) [22], but we believed that the objective findings of our pragmatic survey could contribute to offer a holistic approach of its management in Africa [3]
Our study was conducted at a very early stage of the pandemic, i.e., when the first cases were being reported from Kinshasa and before any cases had occurred in the area where the surveys were done
Summary
In December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), started in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China [1]. The high prevalence of infectious diseases, coupled with weak healthcare systems in Africa, might lead to high mortality rates because of co-morbidity in populations [2,3], but it could be assumed, on the other hand, that a younger African population distribution would lessen the death rate of COVID-19 on the continent, since mortality rates were generally high in older people [4]. Public markets were exempted from the restrictive regulations instituted to limit the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the early stage of the pandemic, we assessed people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior on public markets towards COVID-19. 29 April 2020 among sellers and customers frequenting the food sections of ten public markets in three large cities (Kolwezi, Likasi, and Lubumbashi) and one small town (Lwambo) of the former.
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