Face Mask Use Among Commercial Drivers During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Accra, Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21426428 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ernest Agyemang (0000-0003-3254-4611, University of Ghana, corresponding author), Samuel Agyei‐mensah (0000-0002-6418-393X, University of Ghana), Samuel Agyei-Mensah, Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour (0000-0002-5595-5045, University of Ghana) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1226-1235 |
| Publication date | 2021-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Community Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0094-5145 • E-ISSN: 1573-3610 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10900-021-01004-0 |
| PMID | 34156593 |
| OpenAlex | W3174925724 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 28 |
The paper contributes to unravelling the perceptions of urban commercial drivers regarding their vulnerability to catching the SARS-CoV-2 virus while at work. It further examines how the perception of vulnerability influences personal use of face masks by drivers, as well as on their insistence on appropriate masking behaviour by other persons on-board public transport. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in informal public transport in Africa could facilitate the spread of the corona virus. However, the use of face masks, among other enhanced mitigation measures significantly contain and minimize the spread of the virus. Primary data, obtained through surveys at five major public transport terminals in Accra, was analysed and interpreted using the Health Belief Model as an explanatory framework. Results indicate that most drivers have a high vulnerability perception to Covid-19. It further emerged that older drivers, in particular, consistently wore face masks and insisted on other persons in their commercial vehicles to follow suit. Socio-demographic factors, and the need to ensure one’s personal safety and those of loved ones were critical determinants of face mask use among surveyed drivers. The study thus recommends that public awareness campaigns should strategically focus attention on the younger generation of drivers (i.e. 18–39 years) who perceived themselves to be immune to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Also, the collaborative efforts of state and non-state actors, like the transport operator unions, must be further strengthened if the gains made so far against Covid-19 is to be sustained
Business · Computer security · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Focus group · Geography · Overcrowding · Pandemic · Perception · Personal protective equipment · Public health · Public transport · Risk perception · Transport engineering · Vulnerability (computing) · Computer Science · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Engineering · Infection Control and Ventilation · Marketing · Medicine · Psychology
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| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2024 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |