International Care Ministries Inc., Manila, Philippines.
School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
J Glob Health. 2022 May 21;12:05015. doi: 10.7189/jogh.12.05015.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted populations globally, and knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) surrounding the virus have necessarily evolved. This study was conducted in partnership with International Care Ministries (ICM), a Philippine-based non-governmental organization that runs the "Transform" poverty alleviation program. The main objective of this study was to describe the changes in COVID-19 KAPs among households experiencing extreme poverty in the Philippines over an 8-month period.
A KAP questionnaire was integrated into the household survey collected as part of ICM's regular monitoring and evaluation of "Transform". Data collection for the first survey was conducted between February 20 and March 13, 2020, and the second survey was conducted between November 12 and December 12, 2020. Frequencies and proportions were calculated to describe the respondents' responses and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess if there were significant differences in KAP identification between the two time points.
We observed a distinct increase across all KAP domains. Over 90% of study participants were able to correctly identify COVID-19 transmission modes and preventive measures, and an even higher percentage reported adopting these measures. However, the intention to seek care from public hospitals for COVID-19 symptoms dropped from 43.6% to 28.4%, while reports of self-treatment using stored medicines or antibiotics increased. Trust in community members and local health authorities was correlated with higher knowledge and practice scores.
Our study results reflect the extraordinary speed of information dissemination and behaviour change globally over the course of the pandemic, but they also highlight the changes in KAP that show the additional challenges faced by populations experiencing poverty in the Philippines. Prioritization of reducing inequities in the implementation and adoption of the evolving public health measures will be integral as the pandemic continues.
COVID-19 大流行已在全球范围内严重影响了人群，围绕该病毒的知识、态度和实践（KAP）也必然发生了演变。本研究是与国际关怀部（ICM）合作进行的，该组织是一家总部位于菲律宾的非政府组织，运营着“Transform”扶贫计划。本研究的主要目的是描述在菲律宾经历极端贫困的家庭中，COVID-19 KAP 在 8 个月期间的变化。
在 ICM 对“Transform”的常规监测和评估中收集的家庭调查中纳入了 KAP 问卷。第一次调查的数据收集于 2020 年 2 月 20 日至 3 月 13 日之间进行，第二次调查于 2020 年 11 月 12 日至 12 月 12 日之间进行。使用频率和比例来描述受访者的回答，使用 Kruskal-Wallis 检验评估两个时间点之间 KAP 识别是否存在显著差异。
我们观察到所有 KAP 领域都有明显增加。超过 90%的研究参与者能够正确识别 COVID-19 的传播模式和预防措施，并且更高比例的人报告采取了这些措施。然而，因 COVID-19 症状寻求公立医院治疗的意愿从 43.6%降至 28.4%，而报告使用储存的药物或抗生素进行自我治疗的比例增加。对社区成员和当地卫生当局的信任与更高的知识和实践得分相关。
我们的研究结果反映了大流行期间全球信息传播和行为变化的非凡速度，但也突显了 KAP 的变化，这些变化显示了菲律宾贫困人群面临的额外挑战。在继续大流行的过程中，优先考虑减少实施和采用不断发展的公共卫生措施方面的不平等将是至关重要的。
