Survey Questionnaire Respondents’ Knowledge on COVID-19 Among Internally Displaced Persons, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| Overall (N=307) No. (%) | IDPs (N=164) No. (%) | Comparison (N=143) No. (%) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source of information on COVID-19 | ||||
| Local radio | 278 (90.6) | 140 (85.4) | 138 (96.5) | .002 |
| International radio | 11 (3.6) | 2 (1.2) | 9 (6.3) | .03 |
| Television | 12 (3.9) | 1 (0.6) | 11 (7.7) | .002 |
| Social media | 28 (9.1) | 2 (1.2) | 26 (18.2) | <.0001 |
| Church | 40 (13.0) | 28 (17.1) | 12 (8.4) | .04 |
| Friends | 81 (26.4) | 50 (30.5) | 31 (21.7) | .11 |
| No response | 4 (1.3) | 4 (2.4) | 0 (0) | .13 |
| Recognition of illness | ||||
| What are the signs and symptoms of COVID-19?a | ||||
| I don’t know | 62 (20.2) | 52 (31.7) | 10 (7.0) | <.0001 |
| Feverb | 70 (22.8) | 43 (26.2) | 27 (18.9) | .16 |
| Coughb | 171 (55.7) | 69 (42.1) | 102 (71.3) | <.0001 |
| Difficulty breathingb | 109 (35.5) | 46 (28.0) | 63 (44.1) | .005 |
| Sneezing | 78 (25.4) | 41 (25.0) | 37 (25.9) | .96 |
| Nasal congestion | 140 (45.6) | 59 (36.0) | 81 (56.7) | .0004 |
| Headache | 67 (21.8) | 46 (28.0) | 21 (14.7) | .007 |
| Fatigue | 92 (29.9) | 38 (23.2) | 54 (37.8) | .008 |
| Joint pain | 80 (26.1) | 29 (17.7) | 51 (35.7) | .0006 |
| Muscle pain | 27 (8.8) | 16 (9.8) | 11 (7.7) | .66 |
| Loss of appetite | 14 (4.6) | 6 (3.7) | 8 (5.6) | .59 |
| Diarrhea | 25 (8.1) | 18 (11.0) | 7 (4.9) | .08 |
| Constipationc | 2 (0.7) | 2 (1.2) | 0 (0) | .50 |
| Bleedingb,c | 25 (8.1) | 14 (8.5) | 11 (7.7) | .95 |
| Asymptomatic spread | ||||
| COVID-19 can be transmitted by someone with no symptoms.b | 146 (47.6) | 60 (36.6) | 86 (60.1) | <.0001 |
| Misconceptions | ||||
| COVID-19 can be transmitted by mosquitos.b,c | 125 (40.7) | 67 (40.9) | 58 (40.6) | .19 |
| COIVID-19 can be prevented by eating spicy food.c | 21 (6.8) | 11 (6.7) | 10 (7.0) | .90 |
| Sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 | ||||
| Knew key symptoms, did not endorse misconceptions | 79 (25.7) | 24 (14.6) | 55 (38.5) | <.0001 |
Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavirus disease; IDP, internally displaced person.
↵a If participant answered “I don't know,” no further symptoms were solicited. Otherwise, multiple answers were allowed.
↵b Used to assess sufficient knowledge of COVID-19.
↵c Number (percentage) of participants who erroneously endorsed these incorrect signs, symptoms, or statements.