Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked worldwide havoc resulting in at least 6.9 million
deaths. In Kenya, the government laid out behavioural and social mitigation strategies to
control its spread. This study aimed to assess adherence to COVID-19 mitigation measures
among adults residing in Kitui County, Kenya.
METHODOLOGY
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among households in Kitui Central
Sub-County, Kitui County, Kenya sampling 384 participants. Data was collected using a
semi-structured questionnaire and observation checklist. Principal Component Analysis,
Chi-square and multiple regression were used to assess associations and causation using SPSS
version 25.
RESULTS
The response rate was 85%. Almost all (96.6%; n=315) of the participants had heard
of COVID-19 and knew that wearing face masks prevents infection (98.5%; n=321).
Television was the source of information for most (53.7%, n=175) participants. There was a
significant difference (p<.05) between respondents who knew the COVID-19 prevention
protocols and those who did not (χ2=0.10; df=1;p=.00).
CONCLUSION
There was a high level of knowledge and a moderate level of practice of COVID-19
prevention protocols. Television was an important medium for community health education.
Ministries of health can utilise mass media for continuous population education on COVID-
19 and other infectious diseases.
