ABSTRACT
Background: Information regarding COVID-19 mental health burden among medical workers and other vulnerable individuals has been hugely emphasized during the stressful campaign against COVID-19, however, the mental health problems among sports fans and athletes of Africa and globally have been neglected. The present studies investigated mental health burden and knowledge of sport associated with mental health issues among sports fans.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken amongst sports fans above the age of 18. A closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents (N=196). Data was collected using google form for indications of anxiety and anger using a modified generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) and Spielberger’s State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) as appropriate.Results: Few sports fans (47.4%) knewknew COVID-19 mental health care. Sports fans who had knowledge about mental health issues associated with sports had low levels of anxiety (R = 0.010; P = 0.894) and anger (R = -0.025; P= 0.724) with increasing age. However, anxiety and anger increase with age among female sports fans but reduce in males. Sports fans with partners have high levels of anxiety and anger during lower age levels (below the 20s) and these decrease with aging and this relationship is inverse in their single counterparts.Conclusions: Most sports fans in Uganda are not knowledgeable about COVID-19 sports-associated mental health issues and surprisingly this seems to be associated with less COVID-19 sports-related mental health issues during the lockdown.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Anxiety DisordersABSTRACT
BackgroundSuccess of public health government programs depends on effective partnerships between religious institutions, policy makers and medical professionals. Directives from the World Health Organization (WHO) against social gatherings to control COVID-19 transmission have negatively impacted religious-political partnerships. Compliance of rural communities to national lockdowns requires support from community faith leaders. Across the African sub-continent faith plays an important role within communities that display diverse religious practice. Specific guidelines to prevent community transmission and spread of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) are however, scarce, complicating adherence to best practice as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). During the Ebola epidemic in Africa, faith groups played a crucial role in spreading information from the WHO to control community disease transmissions. MethodsHere we examined knowledge, attitudes and practices for COVID-19 among market vendors, of faith, in South-Western Uganda. A cross sectional study was undertaken among rural market vendors (n=248) in southwestern Uganda was undertaken using an online questionnaire.ResultsMost moslems (72%) and protestants (70%) were aware that COVID-19 could present symptomatically and the challenges for control of COVID-19 in Uganda. Definitive knowledge of COVID-19 transmission dynamics was most prevalent among individuals of Protestant faith (70%). Most moslems (66%) interviewed found it difficult to comply with public health measures (lockdowns and self-isolation) while most pentecostals (64%) considered wearing as face mask to be impractical. Such discrepancies within a tight knit community and religious groupings in relation to practice shows a need to strengthen and revise policy for the national implementation of COVID-19 guidelines. ConclusionEngagement from religious leaders to encourage their followers to abide to COVID-19 guidelines would facilitate Africa’s COVID-19 response to become more effective addressing key areas of non-compliance that undermine control e.g. a majority of Pentecostal Christians are hesitant to be associated with alcohol-based hand sanitizers.