ATTITUDE

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.

Attitude refers to communities’ feelings towards the subject, in this case COVID-19, as well as their perceptions, beliefs, or any preconceived ideas that they may have towards the disease.

FGD findings:

Almost all respondents consider COVID-19 as deadly and highly contagious, first transmitted from China and then spread across other countries. Few respondents in Hatay and Izmir inform that some people in their community believe COVID-19 is a political problem or it does not really exist.

FGD findings:

Respondents, particularly those among the local community, inform that in general person who has been infected or has recovered from COVID-19 often experience stigma and discrimination in the community. People would stay away from the infected or recovered person, thinking they too might get infected. Person who has already recovered from COVID-19 is considered as the carrier of the disease. Respondents cited examples where they inform that it is not only the person infected who is treated differently but also his/her family that is stigmatised.

‘’One of our neighbours was infected, and his whole family was discriminated in the neighbourhood", said one of the respondents in the local community from Gaziantep.

In Izmir, children of healthcare professionals are not cared by the caregivers as they are afraid of being at risk of getting infected. Respondents inform that those with low-income are bound to go to workplaces for their livelihood, whether refugee or local people, and can be at risk of infection.

There are also rumours in the local community that foreigners have brought the virus in Turkey. Hence there is some negative attitude towards people with other nationality. In Sanliurfa, Mersin, Kocaeli and Kayseri, respondents from local community inform that it is believed refugees can not maintain proper hygeine due to lacking affordability to buy hygeine products or live in good housing conditions and are at higher risk of infection. Local people would stay away from refugees or discriminate those who is or have been infected.

A local community respondent in Kayseri mentioned:

‘’If the infected person is a refugee, then local community do not want to meet him or her at all, even if they recover.’’

Refugee respondents in Konya, Kocaeli, Kayseri, Bursa and Gaziantep inform that refugees encounter difficulties accessing hospitals if infected, especially if they did not have ID cards. Language is also an added barrier to communicate with doctors at the hospitals. Many refugees tend to think that they will not be admitted or provided treatment if they go there.

Respondents suggest TRCS to organise seminars or meetings online for people to discuss on this topic and build a non-discriminatory attitude to support those who have been infected or recovered from COVID-19.