ABSTRACT
Introduction. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 was responsible for a series of cases of unknown etiology pneumonia in China, which was declared a pandemic in March 2020. objective. To describe the Colombian population knowledge and perceptions of coronavirus pandemic. methods. Observational study, carried out through a virtual survey to those over 18 years old, between May 28 and June 15. results. 1995 people participated. 66.4% (1321) were women, the median age was 32 years old. 86.3% (1722) were from the Andina region and 44% (878) had a bachelor's degree. Regarding the emotions emerged by the pandemic, 51.6% (1030) reported feeling interest followed by confusion with 26.2% (528). Fever was considered the main symptom in an infected person 95.1% (1898). About measures to prevent the virus infection, 94.6% (1888) considered washing hands as most important. 91.2% (1821) assured that older adults are those who have a higher risk of complications. 68.3% (1363) stated that they felt well informed and 62.8% (1253) considered that the measures taken by the government were appropriate, in addition, 67.3% (1343) stated that they had economic repercussions. conclusions. This new pandemic has generated multiple emotions, affecting both the economic and social sphere of the human being. Most people recognize high-risk groups, symptoms and the main protection measures recommended by experts. © 2020 Comunicaciones Cientificas Mexicanas S.A. de C.V.. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Effective communication with local communities is a critical factor in containing an outbreak. However, simply broadcasting "expert"knowledge carries a risk of being rejected, particularly in indigenous communities that traditionally rely on ancestral knowledge. This paper presents an investigation into developing a shared understanding of COVID-19 in indigenous communities of Choco, Colombia, that could help them develop effective mitigating practices, while being respectful of their believes. Unstructured interviews and observations were used to explore how indigenous communities perceive and respond to COVID-19. Based on these, a communicative strategy was developed using participatory design and gamification approach, that aimed at bridging their beliefs and traditional ancestral medicine with the official medical recommendations for prevention of the virus transmission. The findings revealed that the intervention became a trigger for mindful discussion within indigenous communities about the preventive measures from the virus, while gamification elements acted as an enabler of such discussion and created more trusting attitude towards the recommendations. Based on the initial findings, we discuss challenges of conducting indigenous research, including the role of trust between researchers and the communities, gamification as an enabler of shared knowing of a problem matter, and the importance of flexible participatory research methods whereby indigenous people are treated not as mere researched, but as full participants of the study. Copyright © 2021 for this paper by its authors.