COVID-19 pandemic perceived as less serious than other health problems, suggests 7-country survey

Researchers from seven Setting for Growth (EfD) facilities plus the EfD International Hub, situated on the College of Gothenburg, have carried out an in depth survey on how critical folks understand COVID-19.

This research is now bearing fruit within the type of new publications, with the first titled “Perceptions of the seriousness of main public well being issues throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in seven middle-income international locations.” It seems in Communications Drugs.

Respiratory diseases ranked extra critical

Over 10,000 respondents ranked the seriousness of the seven well being issues (alcoholism and drug use, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, lung most cancers and respiratory illnesses brought on by air air pollution and smoking, and water-borne illnesses like diarrhea).

Their solutions revealed that in most international locations, respiratory diseases have been perceived to be a extra significant issue than COVID-19. Surprisingly, in six of the seven international locations, respondents ranked waterborne illnesses because the least critical well being drawback. Within the seventh nation (South Africa) it was ranked subsequent to final. In Africa, folks felt that alcoholism and drug use have been additionally extra critical than COVID-19.

Do not crowd out extraordinary well being care

These findings are vital as a result of they present that folks nonetheless care concerning the well being issues they have been going through earlier than the pandemic.

“An vital lesson for well being ministries is to not get too carried away by what media focuses on a specific time limit. It is very important keep away from crowding out extraordinary well being companies,” says researcher Dale Whittington. “It is also clear that public perceptions of the seriousness of well being issues can differ significantly inside and throughout international locations and inhabitants segments outlined by demographics and information.”

EfD Director Gunnar Köhlin notes that the research is exclusive in the way in which it has tied collectively researchers from seven international locations within the International South with main researchers within the US and Sweden in a joint information assortment and evaluation effort.

“A research like this may put novel phenomena, such because the COVID-19 pandemic, right into a perspective of the extra persistent challenges the international locations within the International South face,” he says.