Experiences among adults and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic from four locations across Kenya

<p>To control the spread of coronavirus, the COVID-19 National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) in Kenya, chaired by the Ministry of Health (MOH), implemented prevention and mitigation measures. To inform the Government of Kenya’s shorter- and longer-term response strategies, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilized rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes, practices and needs among a longitudinal cohort of heads of household sampled from existing perspective cohort studies. The first was carried out across five Nairobi urban informal settlements; the baseline survey (n=2,009) was conducted March 30–31, 2020 with subsequent follow-up surveys conducted April 13–14, 2020 (n=1,764), May 10-11, 2020 (n=1,750), June 13-16, 2020 (n=1,529), February – March 2021 (n=1118) and March-April 2022 (n=1121). Adolescents in the Nairobi cohort (n=1,425) were interviewed in the June 2020 round of data collection and followed up in February–March 2021 (n= 989) and March–April 2022 (n=911). The survey was expanded to communities with existing prospective cohort studies in Wajir County (adults n=1,322 and adolescents n=1,234), Kilifi County (adults n=1,288 and adolescents n=1,178), and Kisumu County (adults n=858 and adolescents n=973), adapted for rural settings with the first round conducted between July–August 2020, the second between February–March 2021, and the third between March–May 2022. </p>
<p>Findings on awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, perceived risk, awareness of and ability to carry out preventive behaviors, misconceptions, and fears, as well as the social, health, education and economic effects, will inform the interventions of NERC and the Executive Office of the President’s Policy and Strategy Unit (PASU).</p>
<p>In subsequent rounds, new modules may be added to address research questions based on the needs of the MOH or PASU, for specific sites or across. We are committed to openly sharing the latest versions of the study description, questionnaires, datasets, and preliminary results. </p>