COVID-19 Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the community of the Evangelical University of Cameroon

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 was thought to have made its global debut in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In Cameroon central Africa, close to 11,000 cases of the disease have been identified, with a high rate of progression. The Evangelical University of Cameroon (UEC), like many other academic institutions, has made significant investments in equipping the campus with anti-pandemic measures. Objective: This study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of UEC students, faculty, and administrative staff regarding COVID-19 and its preventive measures. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect data on respondents’ sociodemographic profile, knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding COVID-19. The Google Forms application was used to mount and distribute the questionnaire, and the results were organized in tables and graphs. Additional analyses were carried out with the help of Excel and SPSS software. Results: A total of 214 people took part in the study. More than half of participants (79.4 percent) believed that COVID-19 is a serious respiratory disease caused by a virus that affects everyone. While 11.2 percent thought it was a biological weapon used to control or reduce the population. Participants identified the market, bars, and hospitals as the most vulnerable places to contract the coronavirus, with percentages ranging from 37.4 percent, 17.8 percent, and 14.0 percent, respectively. Respondents were aware of COVID-19 prevention: hand washing (95.32 percent), social distancing (95.32 percent), and consumption of some medicinal plants with antiviral or immunoregulatory properties, such as ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Artemisia annua (54.20 percent). The majority of participants did not follow barrier measures such as hand washing (64.43 percent), social distancing (66.67 percent), and face mask use (66.49 percent). In comparison to other levels, first-year students observed prevention measures (P=0.01). Conclusion: This study showed acceptable knowledge but limited compliance to COVID-19 preventive measures, which could explain the high rate of contamination in the country. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice; COVID-19; Evangelical University of Cameroun.