Perceptions around COVID-19 among patients and community members in urban areas in Cameroon: A qualitative perspective.
| Title: | Perceptions around COVID-19 among patients and community members in urban areas in Cameroon: A qualitative perspective. |
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| Authors: | Kwedi Nolna S; Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon.; Capacity for Leadership Excellence and Research (CLEAR), Yaoundé, Cameroon.; Mbang Massom D; Capacity for Leadership Excellence and Research (CLEAR), Yaoundé, Cameroon.; Tchoteke LA; Research Department, Youth Action for Health and Social Change, Yaoundé, Cameroon.; Bille Koffi A; Research Department, Youth Action for Health and Social Change, Yaoundé, Cameroon.; Marchant M; Faculty of Public Health & Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.; Masumbe Netongo P; Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon.; Molecular Diagnostics Research Group, Biotechnology Centre-University of Yaounde I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.; School of Science, Navajo Technical University, Crownpoint, New Mexico, United States of America. |
| Source: | PLOS global public health [PLOS Glob Public Health] 2024 Feb 16; Vol. 4 (2), pp. e0001760. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 16 (Print Publication: 2024). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 9918283779606676 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2767-3375 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 27673375 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLOS Glob Public Health Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: San Francisco, California : Public Library of Science, [2021]- |
| Abstract: | At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cameroonian government, to abide by international regulations, prescribed preventive measures, which affected many aspects of social, political, economic, and cultural life. However, there needs to be more in-depth exploration of how communities in Cameroon perceived and were impacted by COVID-19. We explored perceptions and misconceptions concerning COVID-19's impact on urban communities' daily lives in Cameroon. We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a heterogeneous sample of 25 participants from five different social categories (health personnel, patients with a confirmed COVID-19 infection, close contacts of patients, community members, and community leaders) to assess their perceptions of the disease. Interviews and FGDs were recorded, fully transcribed, coded manually, and analyzed using a thematic analysis iterative coding process. Three main themes were identified: 1) Knowledge of COVID-19: antagonism between disease and invention, 2) Barrier measures imposed by the "dominant culture," and 3) Impact of COVID-19 on daily lives. Our study revealed perceptions around general knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting acceptance and observation of government-imposed protective measures while highlighting the significant changes endured in participants' daily lives. These findings draw attention to the need to develop flexible and appropriate response strategies for different communities. Although Cameroonian populations were not as intensely affected by the burden of the disease of COVID-19 as other regions, they were still compelled to follow static "cookie-cutter" measures that were internationally imposed, affecting their daily lives in ways that seemed disproportionate to their own experiences of the crisis. These findings have potential implications for the legitimacy of public health institutions and responses.; (Copyright: © 2024 Kwedi Nolna et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. |
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| Grant Information: | United Kingdom WT_ Wellcome Trust |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20240216 Latest Revision: 20241028 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC10871494 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001760 |
| PMID: | 38363774 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article