The lasting influence of Ebola: a qualitative study of community-level behaviors, trust, and perceptions three years after the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in Liberia

The majority of disease transmission during the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic was driven by community-based behaviors that proved difficult to change in a social paradigm of misinformation, denial, and deep-seated distrust of government representatives and institutions. In Liberia, perceptions...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC public health 2023-04, Vol.23 (1), p.682-11, Article 682
Main Authors: Arthur, Ronan F, Horng, Lily M, Tandanpolie, Amos F, Gilstad, John R, Tantum, Lucy K, Luby, Stephen P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Care and treatment
Community
Community involvement
Community participation
Community trust
Control
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Diagnosis
Disease control
Disease Outbreaks
Disease transmission
Distribution
Ebola virus
Ebola Virus Disease
Ebola virus infections
Ebolavirus
Epidemics
Epidemics - prevention & control
False information
Focus groups
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola - epidemiology
Humans
Identification and classification
Liberia
Liberia - epidemiology
Misinformation
Pandemics
Public health
Qualitative Research
Quarantine
Social epidemic preparedness
Social interaction
Social interactions
Teams
Trust
Viral diseases
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The majority of disease transmission during the 2014-16 West Africa Ebola epidemic was driven by community-based behaviors that proved difficult to change in a social paradigm of misinformation, denial, and deep-seated distrust of government representatives and institutions. In Liberia, perceptions and beliefs about Ebola during and since the epidemic can provide insights useful to public health strategies aimed at improving community preparedness. In this 2018 study, we conducted nine focus groups with Liberians from three communities who experienced Ebola differently, to evaluate behaviors, attitudes, and trust during and after the epidemic. Focus group participants reported that some behaviors adopted during Ebola have persisted (e.g. handwashing and caretaking practices), while others have reverted (e.g. physical proximity and funeral customs); and reported ongoing distrust of the government and denial of the Ebola epidemic. These findings suggest that a lack of trust in the biomedical paradigm and government health institutions persists in Liberia. Future public health information campaigns may benefit from community engagement addressed at understanding beliefs and sources of trust and mistrust in the community to effect behavior change and improve community-level epidemic preparedness.
ISSN:1471-2458
1471-2458
DOI:10.1186/s12889-023-15559-1