Adherence to Covid-19 prevention protocols among adults residing in Kitui Central Sub-County, Kitui County, Kenya

  INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked worldwide havoc resulting in at least 6.9 million deaths. In Kenya, the government laid out behavioural and social mitigation strategies to control its spread. This study aimed to assess adherence to COVID-19 mitigation measures among adults residing in Kitui County, Kenya. METHODOLOGY A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among households in Kitui Central Sub-County, Kitui County, Kenya sampling 384 participants. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and observation checklist. Principal Component Analysis, Chi-square and multiple regression were used to assess associations and causation using SPSS version 25. RESULTS The response rate was 85%. Almost all (96.6%; n=315) of the participants had heard of COVID-19 and knew that wearing face masks prevents infection (98.5%; n=321). Television was the source of information for most (53.7%, n=175) participants. There was a significant difference (p<.05) between respondents who knew the COVID-19 prevention protocols and those who did not (χ2=0.10; df=1;p=.00). CONCLUSION There was a high level of knowledge and a moderate level of practice of COVID-19 prevention protocols. Television was an important medium for community health education. Ministries of health can utilise mass media for continuous population education on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.