ArticleBMJ global health2017
National survey of Ebola-related knowledge, attitudes and practices before the outbreak peak in Sierra Leone: August 2014.
Article in BMJ global health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Misconceptions and Rumors about Ebola Virus Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of stigma in infectious diseases, including COVID-19: a call to action.Molecular psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Zoonotic disease knowledge, attitudes, and livestock biosecurity practices among community members in Ada East District, Ghana: a concurrent mixed-methods study.One health outlook · 2026Article
- Ebola virus disease: A persistent challenge in global health security.Open veterinary journal · 2026Review
- Engagement communautaire et prise en compte de la détresse psychologique, de la peur et de la stigmatisation dans la surveillance et la gestion des épidémies de la maladie à virus Ebola dans l'approche « Une seule santé » en République démocratique du Congo.Global health promotion · 2025Article
- Community members' knowledge, attitude, and practices towards Ebola virus prevention in the Western Province of Rwanda.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices on prevention and control of high-consequence infectious diseases and critical care among intensive care personnel in Rwanda: a cross-sectional survey.Infection prevention in practice · 2024Article
- "It's what we perceive as different": an interpretative phenomenological analysis of Nigerian women's characterization of their health during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Rural community perceptions and practices toward the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention in Konso Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a lesson for the next pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Exploring the Contextual Factors of Religious Leader Participation in Health Communication: Evidence from a Qualitative Study in Sierra Leone.Journal of religion and health · 2023Article
- Community knowledge, attitude and practices regarding zoonotic viral haemorrhagic fevers in five geo-ecological zones in Tanzania.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Ebola vaccine uptake and attitudes among healthcare workers in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2021.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- A post-outbreak assessment of exposure proximity and Ebola virus disease-related stigma among community members in Kono District, Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional study.SSM. Mental health · 2022Article
- Evaluation of Community Perceptions and Prevention Practices Related to Ebola Virus as Part of Outbreak Preparedness in Uganda, 2020.Global health, science and practice · 2022Article
- Perceptions of ebola virus disease among the bambuti hunter group: a mixed-methods study.Pathogens and global health · 2022Article
- Protective Behaviors Associated With Gender During the 2018-2020 Ebola Outbreak in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Individual and organizational resilience-Insights from healthcare providers in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes and practices: a mixed-mode cross-sectional survey in Liberia.BMJ open · 2021Article
- A review and agenda for integrated disease models including social and behavioural factors.Nature human behaviour · 2021Review
- Engaging religious leaders to promote safe burial practices during the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease outbreak, Sierra Leone.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic in West Africa was the largest ever to occur. In the early phases, little was known about public knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) relating to Ebola virus disease (Ebola). Data were needed to develop evidence-driven strategies to address gaps in knowledge and practice.
methodsIn August 2014, we conducted interviews with 1413 randomly selected respondents from 9 out of 14 districts in Sierra Leone using multistage cluster sampling. Where suitable, Ebola-related KAP questions were adapted from other internationally validated questionnaires related to infectious diseases.
resultsAll respondents were aware of Ebola. When asked unprompted, 60% of respondents could correctly cite fever, diarrhoea and vomiting as signs/symptoms of Ebola. A majority of respondents knew that avoiding infected blood and bodily fluids (87%) and contact with an infected corpse (85%) could prevent Ebola. However, there were also widespread misconceptions such as the belief that Ebola can be prevented by washing with salt and hot water (41%). Almost everyone interviewed (95%) expressed at least one discriminatory attitude towards Ebola survivors. Unprompted, self-reported actions taken to avoid Ebola infection included handwashing with soap (66%) and avoiding physical contact with patients with suspected Ebola (40%).
conclusionThree months into the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, our findings suggest there was high awareness of the disease but misconceptions and discriminatory attitudes toward survivors remained common. These findings directly informed the development of a national social mobilisation strategy and demonstrated the importance of KAP assessment early in an epidemic.
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