First COVID-19 pandemic wave in Peru: Purchase of staple products, knowledge, infodemic and associated factors

ABSTRACT

At the beginning of the pandemic, an excessive purchase of some products was observed, but this has not been evaluated if it is related to mental health. Therefore, the objective was to determine the factors associated with the purchase of basic necessities in the Peruvian population at the beginning of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out, based on a secondary data analysis. Information from 3379 Peruvians from all regions was used, they were asked about the purchases they made, crossing these with the results of the "KNOW-P-COVID-19", "F-COVID-19" and "MED-COVID-19" scales;obtaining descriptive and analytical results. The most purchased products were disinfectant (43.9%), followed by soap (43.6%) and alcohol (40.8%). In the multivariate analysis, the purchase of disinfectants (p=0.009), soap (p<0.001) and alcohol (p=0.002) was found to be associated with sex;the purchase of personal protective equipment (p=0.027), antibacterial gel (p=0.010) and face masks (p=0.015) was associated with age;to the fatalism score the purchase of food (p=0.005), personal protective equipment (p<0.001), soap (p=0.014), alcohol (p=0.043) and face masks (p<0.001);to the score of fears and concern conveyed by the media the purchase of personal protective equipment (p=0.007), soap (p<0.001) and face masks (p=0.005) and to the score of knowledge of the disease the purchase of soap (p<0.001), antibacterial gel (p=0.011) and toilet paper (p=0.009). Significant associations were found with the purchase of supplies (p<0.011). © 2021 Instituto de Altos Estudios de Salud Publica. All rights reserved.