How South African families protected themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of cases of ‘viral pneumonia’—
‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (COVID-19)—in Wuhan City, the People’s Republic of China on 31
December 2019. To curb the spread of the virus, various containment measures were introduced.
However, no study has explored how families protected themselves during the pandemic. Therefore,
this study explored how families protected themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic using a
qualitative exploratory design. Thirty-one adult participants, representing families in the Western
Cape province of South Africa, were virtually interviewed. The sampling approach was both convenient and snowball. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that families
followed and adapted to the mainstream protection measures as implemented by the South African
government but in addition believed that adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions would
protect them from contracting the virus. Therefore, the government and other stakeholders should
support families in making it easier to protect themselves during the current and future pandemic(s).
Description
Keywords
South African families, COVID-19 pandemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions, protection, qualitative study, interview, COVID-19 containment measures, government lockdown regulations
Citation
: Adebiyi, B.O.; Donga, G.T.; Omukunyi, B.; Roman, N.V. How South African families protected themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. Sustainability 2022, 14, 1236. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su14031236