Health Awareness and Culturally Appropriate Epidemic Prevention Strategy for COVID-19 in Taiwan's Indigenous Townships

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an extremely heavy burden on the medical system in Taiwan. Thus, improving the effectiveness of epidemic prevention efforts and reducing the related burdens on medical staff are critical. Between the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Taiwan in early 2022 until May of that same year, two townships with high percentages of indigenous (Malayo-Polynesian) residents reported the highest rates of infection nationwide. As the indigenous culture in these and other similar townships differs significantly from Taiwan's mainstream culture, determining how to improve health awareness and provide culturally appropriate treatments during this pandemic in indigenous communities is vital. In the context of Taiwan's indigenous population, this paper addresses the importance of improving health awareness, proposes how to foster a more-friendly health awareness environment, and suggests a strategy for providing effective healthcare under current pandemic conditions. Prevention measures include improving the ability of indigenous citizens to assess the correctness of information provided, improving compliance with epidemic prevention measures, improving knowledge regarding vaccines and rapid screening reagents, and improving the notification process for diagnoses. A culturally appropriate township-based promotion strategy for epidemic prevention should be proposed to increase the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and health promotion to improve health conditions in indigenous communities.