From Ebola to COVID-19: The Impacts of and Community Responses to COVID-19 within the CHAMPS Network Communities in Sierra Leone Public
Bair, Sarah (Spring 2022)
Published
Abstract
COVID-19 continues to cause devastating impacts in Sierra Leone alongside low vaccination rates throughout the country. The goal of this qualitative secondary research thesis is to explore the cultural contexts of community perceptions of COVID-19 to improve future research and inform the pandemic response in Sierra Leone. The findings of this qualitative analysis can provide stakeholders with recommendations to implement more effective COVID-19 mitigation and education programs throughout the country.
Fourteen qualitative key-informant interviews were conducted by CHAMPS Sierra Leone Social and Behavioral Science Team to understand the perceptions of COVID-19 throughout the CHAMPS network communities in the Bombali region of Sierra Leone. These informants were recruited as essential leaders in their communities with knowledgeable viewpoints of their community’s perceptions of the pandemic.
Results show communities experienced extensive pandemic impacts on their daily lives, particularly on their economic and emotional well-being. These impacts were believed to be sparked by the government-mandated nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions. Past experiences with the Ebola epidemic in these communities led to the success of community leaders, NGOs, and citizens mobilizing to aid their community’s resiliency during the pandemic. The most significant influence on perceptions of COVID-19 was proximity to the virus, whereby participants disclosed converse responses between perceived risk and the extent of economic, daily life, and emotional impacts.
Due to the variations in perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in health education is needed with differential messages targeted towards those with proximity and those without proximity to COVID-19. Stratified health education based on proximity to COVID-19 efforts will have the most significant impact if accounting for these differences in perceptions and help to overcome any misconceptions caused by a lack of adjacency to the virus. While government-mandated lockdowns and travel restrictions delay the spread of viral outbreaks, they fail to prevent spread over time and instead cause immense societal challenges for rural and urban Sierra Leoneans. Face masks, handwashing stations, and hand sanitizer should be readily provided to prevent future outbreaks. The government-mandated responses caused economic impacts far too vast to implement again without financial support for citizens around the country.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
COVID-19 Pandemic 1
Brief History of Sierra Leone 2
COVID-19 in Sierra Leone 3
Economic Consequences 4
Social Consequences 5
Cultural Implications 5
Long-term Consequences 7
The CHAMPS Network 7
Problem Statement 8
Purpose Statement 8
Research Questions 8
Significance Statement 9
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10
Introduction 10
Ebola Epidemic to COVID-19 Pandemic 10
COVID-19 Impacts 13
Community Mobilizing Against COVID-19 15
Conclusion 17
CHAPTER 3: METHODS 19
Data Collection 19
Participants 20
Data Analysis 22
Institutional Review Board & Ethical Considerations 24
Limitations 24
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS 26
Introduction 26
Theme I: Government Mandated Response to Community Mobilizing 27
Government Mandated Response 28
Government Response to Community Mobilizing
29
Economic Impacts 30
Daily Life Impacts 31
Emotional Impacts 32
Experience with Ebola 33
Theme II: Proximity to COVID-19 & Perceptions of Pandemic Impacts 34
Proximity to Positive COVID-19 Case 36
Risk Perceptions 37
Economic Impacts 38
Daily Life Impacts 39
Emotional Impacts 41
Blame 42
Stigma 44
Conclusion 45
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 47
Introduction 47
Government Mandated Response 49
Economic Impacts 50
Community Mobilizing & Ebola 51
Conclusion 52
CHAPTER 6: PUBLIC HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS 53
Community Mobilizing 53
Government Mandated Response 5
WORKS CITED 55
About this Master's Thesis
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From Ebola to COVID-19: The Impacts of and Community Responses to COVID-19 within the CHAMPS Network Communities in Sierra Leone () | 2022-04-20 19:48:56 -0400 |
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