COVID-19 pandemic perceived as much less severe than different well being issues, suggests 7-country survey

Researchers from seven Atmosphere for Improvement (EfD) facilities plus the EfD International Hub, situated on the College of Gothenburg, have performed an in depth survey on how severe individuals understand COVID-19.

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

Respiratory sicknesses ranked extra severe

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 nations, respiratory sicknesses have been perceived to be a extra significant issue than COVID-19. Surprisingly, in six of the seven nations, respondents ranked waterborne illnesses because the least severe well being drawback. Within the seventh nation (South Africa) it was ranked subsequent to final. In Africa, individuals felt that alcoholism and drug use have been additionally extra severe than COVID-19.

Do not crowd out abnormal well being care

These findings are vital as a result of they present that individuals 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 selected cut-off date. You will need to keep away from crowding out abnormal well being providers,” says researcher Dale Whittington. “It is also clear that public perceptions of the seriousness of well being issues can differ significantly inside and throughout nations 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 nations within the International South with main researchers within the US and Sweden in a joint knowledge assortment and evaluation effort.

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