COVID-19 and its coping strategies among the residents of the Mario Lago Settlement, Ribeirao Preto, State of Sao Paulo

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to describe the health situation regarding the pandemic of COVID-19 and its coping strategies among residents of the Mario Lago Settlement, belonging to the Fazenda da Barra Sustainable Development Project (PDS) located in Ribeirao Preto, state of Sao Paulo. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, survey-type study with stratified random sampling. A total of 158 residents, aged between 18 and 84 years, were interviewed between October 26, 2021, and January 28, 2022. The results obtained expose a situation of social vulnerability of its population, in which only 23.4% of the interviewees reached high school, and 95.6% have a family income of up to three minimum wages. Among the study participants, 17.1% tested positive for a COVID-19 test, and 42.4% reported that the pandemic significantly decreased household income, while 3.8% were left without income. In order for the settled populations to be better prepared for future crises such as the one caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to continue the actions already taken by the social and popular movements in the countryside and ensure the maintenance and development of social support networks.