Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct 21:13:1215-1221.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S274944. eCollection 2020.

Predictors of Non-Adherence to Public Health Instructions During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Michel Kabamba Nzaji  1   2 , Guillaume Ngoie Mwamba  1   3 , Judith Mbidi Miema  2 , Elie Kilolo Ngoy Umba  1 , Ignace Bwana Kangulu  1 , Deca Blood Banza Ndala  4 , Paul Ciamala Mukendi  5 , Denis Kabila Mutombo  4 , Marie Claire Balela Kabasu  4 , Moise Kanyki Katala  4 , John Kabunda Mbala  4 , Oscar Luboya Numbi  6
Affiliations

Predictors of Non-Adherence to Public Health Instructions During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Michel Kabamba Nzaji et al. J Multidiscip Healthc. .

Abstract

Background: Adherence to public health instructions for the COVID-19 is important for controlling the transmission and the pandemic's health and economic impacts. The aim of this study was to determine the associated factors of non-adherence to public health and social measures instructions.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 1913 participants in two provinces of DRC, Mbuji-Mayi, and Kamina. Predictors of non-adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures were identified using binary logistic regression analysis. P-value<0.05 was considered as a significant predictor.

Results: Among 1913 participants (1057 [55.3%] male, age 34.1 [14.9] years), 36.6% were defined as non-adherents. Non-adherence was associated with never studied and primary education level [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.63, CI=1.31-2.03], unemployed status [aOR=1.29, CI=1.01-1.67], living in Kamina (Haut-Lomami province) [aOR=1.63, CI=1.31-2.03], female gender of head of household [aOR=1.53, CI=1.16-2.03], no attending lectures/discussions about COVID-19 [aOR=1.61, CI=1.08-2.40], not being satisfied with the measures taken by the Ministry of Health [aOR=2.26, CI=1.78-2.81], not been regularly informed about the pandemic [aOR=2.25, CI=1.80-2.03], and bad knowledge about COVID-19 [aOR=2.36, CI=1.90-2.93].

Conclusion: The rate of non-observance of preventive measures for the COVID-19 pandemic is high, and different factors contributed. The government has to counsel the permanent updating of messages taking into account the context and the progress of the pandemic by using several communication channels.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; DR Congo; adherence; predictors; public health instructions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest for this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ROC curve of factors of non-adherence to the instructions of the Ministry of Health for the COVID-19 pandemic.
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bhagavathula A, Aldhaleei WA, Rahmani JR, Mahabadi MA, Bandari DK. Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) knowledge and perceptions: a survey of healthcare workers (preprint). JMIR Public Heal Surveill. 2020. doi: 10.2196/19160 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stübinger J, Schneider L. Epidemiology of Coronavirus COVID-19: forecasting the future incidence in different countries. Healthcare. 2020;8(2):99. doi: 10.3390/healthcare8020099 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shigemura J, Ursano RJ, Morganstein JC, Kurosawa M, Benedek DM. Public responses to the novel 2019 coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Japan: mental health consequences and target populations. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2020;74(4):281–282. doi: 10.1111/pcn.12988 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ranney ML, Griffeth V, Jha AK. Critical supply shortages — the need for ventilators and personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(18):28–30. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2006141 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lone SA, Ahmad A. COVID-19 pandemic – an African perspective. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020;9(1):1300–1308. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1775132 - DOI - PMC - PubMed