PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE OF THE PARAKOU CITY POPULATION WITH COVID-19

Abstract

In the heart of the news in Benin and around the world, the covid19 pandemic raises many questions. Every day several cases of contamination, deaths, and cures are recorded. Despite this increase in the number of cases, we note that in most cities of Benin in general and in Parakou in particular, the population continues to neglect health measures (wearing mufflers, social distancing in markets, and places of strong agglomeration). The question which then arises is the following: how to understand the perceptions and attitudes of the inhabitants of the city of Parakou vis-à-vis the coronavirus? The objective of the study was to analyze the level of knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of the inhabitants of the city of Parakou vis-à-vis covid 19. The methodology used for this work is the mixed approach with a predominantly qualitative basis. The mother population is the inhabitants of the Parakou commune. The survey took place in the 1st district of the city of Parakou. Analysis of the data revealed that on the one hand, the populations assimilate the origin of covid19 to a human creation or even a genetic manipulation in the laboratories. These diverse perceptions are explained on the other hand by the low level of knowledge of the populations on the coronavirus. On the other hand, respect for barrier gestures follows repression or any administrative constraint. Which testifies to a bad attitude of the population of the 1st district.