Biochemistry and Nutrition Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Department, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.
Afr Health Sci. 2023 Mar;23(1):83-92. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v23i1.10.
Rampant chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine poisoning in Nigerian hospitals following suggestions of its possible efficacy in the treatment and prevention of the newly emerged COVID-19 disease informed this survey.
The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of the Nigerian populace on the use of chloroquine in the COVID-19 pandemic.
This cross-sectional study was done by administering an electronic questionnaire created using Google Docs, through social media cascade methods including the WhatsApp application software to capture data on chloroquine use between April 20 and June 20, 2020.
Six hundred and twenty-eight people responded to the questionnaire (response rate 99.2%, mean age 41.05 ± 12.3) from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria with 556 (88.5%) having tertiary level education. Only 21 (3.3%) of the respondents took chloroquine for treatment or prevention. Respondents from the North-west geopolitical zones used chloroquine 5.8 (95% CI: 1.55, 21.52, p=0.02) more times than other zones while the age group 20-29 were 8.8 times more likely to use chloroquine than any other age group (95% CI: 3.53, 21.70, p = 0.00). Female respondents were 2.3 times more likely to use chloroquine than the males (OR 2.26 95% CI: 0.90-5.68; p=0.08) and those in the income bracket of N75,000-99,000, 2.5 times more than other income groups.
Young adults, North-western geopolitical zone, and female gender should be target groups for education on rational chloroquine use. The danger of chloroquine overdose should be communicated to the general population in Nigeria.
在新出现的 COVID-19 疾病的治疗和预防方面，氯喹/羟氯喹可能具有疗效的建议在尼日利亚医院中导致氯喹/羟氯喹中毒泛滥，这促使进行了这项调查。
本研究旨在评估尼日利亚民众对氯喹在 COVID-19 大流行期间使用的知识、态度和看法。
本横断面研究通过使用 Google Docs 创建的电子问卷进行，通过社交媒体级联方法，包括 WhatsApp 应用软件，于 2020 年 4 月 20 日至 6 月 20 日期间收集关于氯喹使用的数据。
共有 628 人（回应率为 99.2%，平均年龄为 41.05 ± 12.3）来自尼日利亚的六个地理政治区回答了问卷，其中 556 人（88.5%）具有高等教育学历。只有 21 人（3.3%）服用氯喹进行治疗或预防。来自西北部地理政治区的受访者使用氯喹的次数比其他地区多 5.8 倍（95%CI：1.55，21.52，p=0.02），而 20-29 岁年龄组使用氯喹的可能性是其他年龄组的 8.8 倍（95%CI：3.53，21.70，p=0.00）。女性受访者使用氯喹的可能性是男性的 2.3 倍（OR 2.26 95%CI：0.90-5.68；p=0.08），而收入在 N75,000-99,000 之间的受访者是其他收入组的 2.5 倍。
尼日利亚应将青年、西北部地理政治区和女性作为氯喹合理使用教育的目标群体。应向尼日利亚民众传达氯喹过量的危险。
