Religion Influences Community Adherence to COVID-19 Guidelines in Uganda
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Square
Abstract
Success of public health government programs depends on effective partnerships between religious
institutions, policy makers and medical professionals. Directives from the World Health Organization
(WHO) against social gatherings to control COVID-19 transmission have negatively impacted religiouspolitical
partnerships. Compliance of rural communities to national lockdowns requires support from
community faith leaders. Across the African sub-continent faith plays an important role within
communities that display diverse religious practice. Specific guidelines to prevent community
transmission and spread of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) are however, scarce, complicating
adherence to best practice as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). During the Ebola
epidemic in Africa, faith groups played a crucial role in spreading information from the WHO to control
community disease transmissions.
Methods
Here we examined knowledge, attitudes and practices for COVID-19 among market vendors, of faith, in
South-Western Uganda. A cross sectional study was undertaken among rural market vendors (n=248) in
southwestern Uganda was undertaken using an online questionnaire.
Results
Most moslems (72%) and protestants (70%) were aware that COVID-19 could present symptomatically
and the challenges for control of COVID-19 in Uganda. Definitive knowledge of COVID-19 transmission
dynamics was most prevalent among individuals of Protestant faith (70%). Most moslems (66%)
interviewed found it difficult to comply with public health measures (lockdowns and self-isolation) while
most pentecostals (64%) considered wearing as face mask to be impractical. Such discrepancies within a
tight knit community and religious groupings in relation to practice shows a need to strengthen and revise
policy for the national implementation of COVID-19 guidelines.
Conclusion
Engagement from religious leaders to encourage their followers to abide to COVID-19 guidelines would
facilitate Africa’s COVID-19 response to become more effective addressing key areas of non-compliance
that undermine control e.g. a majority of Pentecostal Christians are hesitant to be associated with
alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
Description
Keywords
COVID-19, Control, Faith
Citation
Echoru, I., Usman, I. M., Ssempijja, F., Ayikobua, E. T., Mujinya, R., Ajambo, P. D., ... & Welburn, S. C. (2020). Religion influences community adherence to COVID-19 guidelines in Uganda. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-59701/v1