ABSTRACT
Objective. To analyze the knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices regarding the second wave of COVID-19 in residents of La Libertad, Peru. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional, correlational design was applied;a duly validated questionnaire was used and data were collected using a virtual form from 294 inhabitants of the department of La Libertad, whose sample was found to meet the required statistical parameters. Results. The characteristics of the respondents were average age of 28.3 +/- 9.9 years and 71.8% women. People with a good level of knowledge and an adequate attitude had characteristics such as married or cohabiting marital status, had children, a higher level of education and had stable work. The variables age and sex are those that were associated with the level of attitude, as well as the fact of knowing the forms of contagion, which was significantly associated with the attitudes and preventive practices of the second wave of COVID-19 Finally, 38.1% of people surveyed indicated that they do not trust the effectiveness of the vaccine Conclusions. Residents presented good levels of knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices. However, it was noted that they are not clear about the ways of contagion. Added to the indifference towards vaccines and the economic crisis, this could have contributed to a significant increase in the number of cases.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 has caused concern in the Peruvian population due to the health impact it generates and given the slow progress of vaccination, people opt for pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures to prevent the disease. Objective: Analyze the association of pharmacological and non-pharmacological preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic with the characteristics of the inhabitants of Virú, Peru. Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational design was applied. A questionnaire of questions was used based on the characteristics of the inhabitants (age, sex and type of work) and food consumption, use of solutions and medicines for the prevention of COVID-19. The presence of COVID-19 was evaluated with the rapid test called Standard™ COVID 19 IgM/IgG;the sample was of 191 residents who went to Guadalupito Health Center in Virú. Results: The non-pharmacological measures most frequently applied by villagers during the COVID-19 pandemic were the consumption of citrus fruits (79%), garlic, onions (42%) and kion (26%). The pharmacological ones were ivermectin (14%) and paracetamol (12%). None of the measures were associated with the presence of COVID-19. Conclusions: Health professionals should emphasize through the different media that the measures analyzed in this study cannot prevent COVID-19. This constitutes valuable information for those people who do not take into account the usefulness of vaccines and challenge the disease by limiting their lives, with the exclusive use of certain foods, herbs and medicines.