Knowledge into the Practice against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study from Ghana

Prince Yeboah, Dennis Bomansang Daliri, Ahmad Yaman Abdin, Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong, Werner Pitsch, Anto Berko Panyin, Emmanuel Bentil Asare Adusei, Afraa Razouk, Muhammad Jawad Nasim and Claus Jacob
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Prince Yeboah: Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Dennis Bomansang Daliri: Department of Psychiatry, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana
Ahmad Yaman Abdin: Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong: Department of Health Promotion & Education, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Werner Pitsch: Department for Economics and Sociology of Sports, Faculty of Economics and Empirical Human Sciences, Institute of Sport Sciences, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Anto Berko Panyin: Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Emmanuel Bentil Asare Adusei: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Afraa Razouk: Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Muhammad Jawad Nasim: Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Claus Jacob: Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected populations globally, including Ghana. Knowledge of the COVID-19 disease, and the application of preventive public health interventions are pivotal to its control. Besides a lockdown, measures taken against the spread of the virus include the wearing of face masks, social distancing, regular hand washing with soap and, more recently, vaccination against the virus. In order to establish a possible link between the knowledge of the disease and compliance with preventive measures, including vaccination, a cross-sectional study employing an interview-structured questionnaire was conducted in six regions of Ghana ( n = 1560). An adequate level of knowledge of COVID-19 (69.9%) was reported. The linear multiple regression analysis further explicated the differences in the knowledge of COVID-19 among the respondents by their knowledge of cholera and influenza (adjusted R-Square = 0.643). Despite this profound knowledge of the illness, two thirds of the respondents were unwilling to follow basic preventive measures and only 35.3% were willing to be vaccinated. Amazingly, neither knowledge of COVID-19 nor the socio-demographic characteristics had any meaningful influence on the practice of preventive measures. Personal attitude leading to efficient public compliance with preventive measures, therefore, is a critical issue demanding special attention and effective interventions by the government and locals with authority to curb the spread of the pandemic which surpasses the traditional channels of public health communication. This includes a roll-out of persuasion, possibly including public figures and influencers, and in any case, a balanced and open discussion addressing the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in order to avoid new variants and comparable problems currently facing many countries of Western Europe. Indeed, a profound hesitancy against vaccination may turn African countries such as Ghana for many years into hotspots of new viral variants.

Keywords: attitudes; COVID-19; Ghana; knowledge of COVID-19; linear multiple regression analysis; practices against COVID-19; preventive measures; public health; socio-demographics; vaccination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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