{"doi":"10.4102/jphia.v16i1.1401","title":"Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to SARS-CoV-2 prevention in Kenya","abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) may differ among populations with health vulnerabilities.\nAim: To examine COVID-19 KAPs among Kenyan adolescents and adults with behavioural vulnerability to HIV.\nSetting: This study was conducted in Kericho and Homa Bay, Kenya.\nMethods: From December 2021 to April 2023, we enrolled participants without HIV aged 14-55 years who reported recent sexually transmitted infection, injection drug use, transactional sex, condomless sex, and/or anal sex with males. A self-administered questionnaire captured sociodemographic data and KAPs. Multivariable robust Poisson regression with purposeful variable selection was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with NPI practices.\nResults: Among 399 participants (median age 22 years [interquartile range 19–24]), 317 (79.4%) were female. Participants during the Omicron-variant wave were less likely to meet outdoors (PR = 0.85 [95% CI: 0.73–0.98]), reduce shopping (PR = 0.83 [95% CI: 0.73–0.96], and avoid crowds (PR = 0.81 [95% CI: 0.71-0.93]). Believing that mask-wearing prevents SARS-CoV-2 was associated with less meeting outdoors (PR = 0.44 [95% CI: 0.27–0.73]) and reducing shopping (PR = 0.48 [95% CI: 0.31–0.76]), while believing that handwashing prevents SARS-CoV-2 was associated with less crowd avoidance (PR = 0.73 [95% CI: 0.60–0.89]). Perceiving widespread community face mask use was associated with reduced shopping (PR = 1.12 [95% CI: 1.02–1.23]).\nConclusion: Belief in personal NPIs (mask-wearing and handwashing) was associated with decreased practice of social NPIs (meeting outdoors, reducing shopping, and avoiding crowds).\nContribution: Future public health strategies for pandemic response should anticipate risk compensation.</jats:p>","journal":"Journal of Public Health in Africa","year":2025,"id":643771,"datarank":0.10397207708399181,"base_score":0.6931471805599453,"endowment":0.6931471805599453,"self_citation_contribution":0.10397207708399181,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.10397207708399181,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":1,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1103092,"name":"Roger Ying","orcid":"0000-0002-0380-3197","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1443517,"name":"Tyler Hamby","orcid":"0000-0002-0523-8769","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":980750,"name":"Julius Tonzel","orcid":"0000-0003-1818-4947","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":347966,"name":"Josphat Kosgei","orcid":"0000-0002-0106-524X","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":691266,"name":"Deborah Langat","orcid":"0000-0003-0439-1099","position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1262682,"name":"Rael Bor","orcid":"0009-0005-8849-0765","position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":957025,"name":"Britt Gayle","orcid":"0000-0001-5729-6090","position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":640720,"name":"Matthew L. Romo","orcid":"0000-0002-3038-0644","position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1262260,"name":"Glenna Schluck","orcid":"0000-0001-5311-9636","position":9,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1262261,"name":"Christine Akoth","orcid":"0000-0002-1586-7315","position":10,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":399562,"name":"Fred Sawe","orcid":"0000-0002-0748-8032","position":11,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":803859,"name":"Margaret Yacovone","orcid":"0000-0002-6983-8560","position":12,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":288616,"name":"Julie A. Ake","orcid":"0000-0003-3831-5828","position":13,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":288618,"name":"Trevor A. Crowell","orcid":"0000-0001-5947-265X","position":14,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1428626,"name":"Brennan R. Cebula","orcid":"0000-0001-9448-746X","position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to SARS-CoV-2 prevention in Kenya","abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) may differ among populations with health vulnerabilities.\nAim: To examine COVID-19 KAPs among Kenyan adolescents and adults with behavioural vulnerability to HIV.\nSetting: This study was conducted in Kericho and Homa Bay, Kenya.\nMethods: From December 2021 to April 2023, we enrolled participants without HIV aged 14-55 years who reported recent sexually transmitted infection, injection drug use, transactional sex, condomless sex, and/or anal sex with males. A self-administered questionnaire captured sociodemographic data and KAPs. Multivariable robust Poisson regression with purposeful variable selection was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with NPI practices.\nResults: Among 399 participants (median age 22 years [interquartile range 19–24]), 317 (79.4%) were female. Participants during the Omicron-variant wave were less likely to meet outdoors (PR = 0.85 [95% CI: 0.73–0.98]), reduce shopping (PR = 0.83 [95% CI: 0.73–0.96], and avoid crowds (PR = 0.81 [95% CI: 0.71-0.93]). Believing that mask-wearing prevents SARS-CoV-2 was associated with less meeting outdoors (PR = 0.44 [95% CI: 0.27–0.73]) and reducing shopping (PR = 0.48 [95% CI: 0.31–0.76]), while believing that handwashing prevents SARS-CoV-2 was associated with less crowd avoidance (PR = 0.73 [95% CI: 0.60–0.89]). Perceiving widespread community face mask use was associated with reduced shopping (PR = 1.12 [95% CI: 1.02–1.23]).\nConclusion: Belief in personal NPIs (mask-wearing and handwashing) was associated with decreased practice of social NPIs (meeting outdoors, reducing shopping, and avoiding crowds).\nContribution: Future public health strategies for pandemic response should anticipate risk compensation.</jats:p>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"41200519","pmcid":"PMC12587216","openalex_id":null,"authors":[],"funders":[{"funder_name":"NIMH NIH HHS","grant_id":"RF1 MH133442","title":null}],"total_grants":1,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[],"oa_status":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12587216","host_type":"Europe_PMC"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12587216?pdf=render","host_type":"Europe_PMC"}],"fields_of_study":[],"mesh_terms":[],"keywords":["HIV","Knowledge","Attitudes And Practices","Non-pharmaceutical Intervention","Covid-19","Sars-cov-2"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-08T18:49:17.199644Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}