PRACTICES

This KAP assessment tells us what people know about COVID-19, how they feel and their actions to prevent the disease. It identifies knowledge gaps, beliefs, or misperceptions that can facilitate people’s understanding and behaviour. It also assesses what community would like to know more about COVID-19 and how they prefer to contact TRCS to ask questions or share feedback. Knowing what information people have heard already, how they reacted to it and why they might be resistant to change can help develop targeted messaging and engage in dialogue with communities to promote positive behaviour. The findings of KAP assessment can guide adjustments to ongoing interventions and improve the quality and accessibility of services for the communities.

Practice refers to the ways in which the community demonstrates their knowledge and attitude through their actions. This KAP assessment identifies what people do to protect themselves and their families from becoming infected with COVID-19.

Are you taking any measures in your daily life to prevent the risk of infection?

The overwhelming majority of survey respondents (95.8%) said they were taking some measures in their daily life to prevent the risk of COVID-19 infection. This finding is marginally higher compared to the first round of surveys (94.3%). While 2.9% said they only sometimes took measures, just 1.3% of the respondents said they were not doing anything about it.

IF NOT, WHY?

If yes or sometimes, what have you and your family done to prevent becoming sick with the Coronavirus in the recent days?

Are you facing any challenges in taking such preventive measures?

Almost three-quarters of survey respondents, 75.2%, said that they did not face any challenges to take preventive measures. This was slightly higher than the previous assessment (74.2%). Those who said they did face challenges gave examples that they had difficulties affording soap and disinfectants (12.7%) and experienced discomfort wearing masks (9.8%). Both responses were higher for refugees and female respondents in the assessment. Other challenges respondents mentioned were that their family members were forced to go out to work, particularly the men (5.5%), or that they needed to overcome social pressures of people around who did not want to them take action - this was particularly the case amongst the host population (5.0%).

FGD participants said that compared to the early stages of the outbreak people were less motivated to follow the preventive measures due to reduced fear or fatigue. Although people have high level of awareness about COVID-19, not all follow the health advice, participants said. In Adana, Mersin and Hatay, for example, participants reported that young people were less attentive in taking precautions, especially when it came to wearing masks or maintaining physical distance, risking themselves to becoming infected and spreading the disease. They also said it was difficult to maintain physical distance at times due to cultural norms, such as greeting people by shaking hands or hosting guests at home. In Kahramanmaras, it was reported that people felt discomfort when wearing masks for long periods and experienced breathing difficulties and headaches. As public transport and marketplaces were often crowded, physical distance could not be maintained in all locations. In Kayseri and Kocaeli, participants reported that some people in the community believed that healthier people would not be infected and could not spread the disease. A few people also reported beliefs that COVID-19 was a punishment from God, or it did not really exist. In addition, misinformation and rumours on social media were further undermining accurate health information.

In Bağcilar, Adana, Mersin, Konya and Kilis, participants from the local host community felt refugees were at higher risk of infection, believing that some refugees were less attentive in following health advice, and others had poor economic conditions, lacked money to buy hygiene products, lived in crowded homes and experienced language barriers. Refugee participants in Sanliurfa said that it was difficult for them to afford hygiene products and adequate food for the households due to their financial constraints. A few participants from the host population in Kayseri also mentioned that people in their communities faced financial challenges to buy masks and hygiene products. Financial constraints combined with being unemployed led to people suffering stress and anxiety at home, they said.

What would you do if you or someone from your family has symptoms of this disease?

When asked what they would do if they or someone in their family showed symptoms, majority of the respondents answered that they would go to the hospital (75.6%). This finding was higher for both refugees (45.2%) and female respondents (38.1%) compared to those from the host population (29.7%) and male (37.4%) respondents. Compared to the second round, this finding was slightly higher in the first KAP assessment (78.4%). Others mentioned they would isolate themselves (34.1%), contact a doctor to get advice (26.0%), or ask friends and relatives for advice (6.6%).