Barrier Gestures Regarding Covid-19: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of the Population of the Bobozo Health District in Kananga in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction: Covid-19 is an epidemic that has changed the global economic and health system. The objective of this work was to evaluate both the level of knowledge of the population about Covid-19 and the application of barrier gestures in the Health District of Bobozo in Kananga in the Kasaï Central Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out and covered a period of one year, i.e., from January 1 to December 31, 2022. The data were first entered and encoded in Excel and then analyzed using Epi Info version 7.2.5.0. Results: In the majority of cases, radio was the channel used for information, i.e., 76% compared to 3.3% of respondents informed by the Community. Nearly half of the population cited coughing as a sign of Covid-19. In the selected sample, 64% of respondents blamed hand greetings as the main mode of contamination. In 52% of cases, the mask was the most used barrier measure. On the other hand, more than a third of cases (i.e., 36.5% of the population surveyed) did not use barrier measures under the pretext that Covid-19 was a disease of rich people. Conclusion: The level of knowledge of Covid-19 was found to be acceptable in Kananga. However, the population has not shown a good perception of the origin of Covid-19 and the application of barrier gestures against said disease. It is therefore important to amplify health education in the different socio-political-cultural layers to fight against resistance to barrier gestures not only for Covid-19 but also for other epidemics.