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
. 2022 Apr 4;17(4):e0266249.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266249. eCollection 2022.

Perceived risks of COVID-19, attitudes towards preventive guidelines and impact of the lockdown on students in Uganda: A cross-sectional study

Ngwa Niba Rawlings  1 , Emmanuela Ambe Akwah  1 , James Musisi  1 , Kimonia Awanchiri  1 , Rachel Babirye  2 , Diana Emalieu  3 , Lawrence Nduhukyire  4 , Ronald Kakeeto  2 , Lem Ngongalah  1
Affiliations

Perceived risks of COVID-19, attitudes towards preventive guidelines and impact of the lockdown on students in Uganda: A cross-sectional study

Ngwa Niba Rawlings et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: This study explored students' perceptions of COVID-19 risks and preventive measures and assessed the impacts of the national lockdown on students in Uganda.

Methods: A web-based survey was conducted to explore students' perceived risks of COVID-19 and preventive measures; sources of COVID-19 information and impacts of the lockdown. Both undergraduate and post-graduate students (n = 398) participated in the study. Data were analysed using IBM-SPSS-26.

Results: Students acknowledged COVID-19 as a health risk, and their preventive behaviours were influenced by age, gender, marital status and living situation. Most students followed face mask guidelines but did not comply with lockdown restrictions. Social distancing was not always possible due to overcrowding. Students' main sources of COVID-19 information were local media (e.g., TV, radio) and social media. Most students (especially females) were unable to access online learning platforms due to poor internet connectivity, high costs and no access to computers. Meanwhile, a majority of those who studied online did not enjoy the experience. Students experienced depression, frustration, stress and anxiety during the lockdown; became less physically active and spent most of their time on social media, sleeping, eating or watching movies. Some students indulged in smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs and gambling for their first time, while others did them more often than before.

Conclusion: The increase in sedentary activity, poor mental health and substance use over the lockdown period puts students at risk of health complications and poses a potential threat to the healthcare system. These risks may also negatively impact their future learning and academic potential. Further research is needed to understand the transitional experiences of students between physical and virtual learning, and how they can be supported. There is also a need to ascertain the feasibility of guidelines such as social distancing in developing countries, to increase compliance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Reasons for wearing and not wearing face masks during the lockdown.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Reasons for not complying with social distancing guidelines.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Sources of COVID-19 information.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Students’ trust on sources of COVID-19 information.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Students’ access to online classes.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Students’ experiences of attending online classes.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Students’ access to and use of health services during the lockdown.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Mental health traits during the lockdown.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Student’s physical activity level.
Fig 10
Fig 10. How students spent most of their time during the lockdown.
Fig 11
Fig 11. Involvement in substance use and gambling during the lockdown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Baldwin RE, Weder B, Centre for Economic Policy Research (Great Britain). Economics in the time of COVID-19. London: CEPR Press; 2020.
    1. Kuhfeld M, Soland J, Tarasawa B, Johnson A, Ruzek E, Liu J. Projecting the Potential Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Academic Achievement. Educ Res. 2020. Nov 1;49(8):549–65.
    1. Siche R, Siche R. What is the impact of COVID-19 disease on agriculture? Sci Agropecu. 2020. Jan;11(1):3–6.
    1. WHO. Impact of COVID-19 on people’s livelihoods, their health and our food systems [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2021 Mar 10]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/13-10-2020-impact-of-covid-19-on-people’s-....
    1. WHO. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard [Internet]. [cited 2021 Mar 10]. Available from: https://covid19.who.int.