Assessment Of Adherence To Covid-19 Prevention Protocols In Selected Churches In The Bolgatanga Municipality

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO recommended four key prevention protocols among several others: use of a face mask, physical/social distancing, use of hand sanitizer, and hand washing. Despite this, there were growing concerns about the lack of adherence to these recommended prevention protocols in public spaces and by individuals, leading to the significant spread of the virus. These recommended protocols are especially important for congregations such as churches where the risk of exposure is high. This study, therefore, aimed to assess adherence to the COVID-19 prevention protocols in selected churches in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region of Ghana. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in selected churches and church members in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region of Ghana. Both an observational checklist and a structured questionnaire were used to collect data using stratified simple random sampling to recruit 438 church members into the study. Between August 2021 and October 2021, 33 churches were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were carried out with relative frequency analysis using SPSS version 25. Bloom’s Cut-off point of 80% and above was used to categorize Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) levels. The level of adherence was measured by the proportion of respondents who consistently observed all four protocols for the past five Sundays. Chi-square and binary logistics (both bivariate and multivariate) regression analysis were used to identify determinants and their level of influence on adherence. Result: It was observed that 97%, 69.7%, 69.7%, and 63.6% of the churches had hand sanitizers, handwashing facilities, face masks, and seats arranged a meter apart, respectively. Also, 96.9%, 86.6%, 82.6%, 64.8%, and 56.8% of the respondents reported having access to hand sanitizers,

handwashing facilities, face masks, and seats arranged a meter apart during worship sessions. Despite 65% of the respondents having good knowledge levels and 48% having a good attitude, 80.5% of the respondents had good practice of the protocol. The study revealed that only 26.8% of worshipers consistently adhered to all the recommended protocols for the past five worship sessions. The number of preventive facilities a respondent had access to, the denomination, attitude, age, place of residence, and occupation, consistently and statistically significantly determine adherence. Conclusion: Adherence to COVID-19 prevention protocols was low among worshipers thereby increasing the risk of infection should there be an exposure. Urgent efforts are needed by policymakers, law enforcement urgencies, church authorities and worshipers to improve the adherence to COVID-19 protocols in Ghana.