Assessment of the Attitude towards Covid-19 Safety Measures among Health Care Workers in Edo State, Nigeria

This study examined the attitude towards COVID-19 safety measures among health workers in Edo State, Nigeria, and determined whether significant differences existed in their attitudes according to sex, age, years of professional experience, and educational qualification. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was adopted. The population comprised 3,223 health workers from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and Central Hospital, Benin City, Edo State. A sample of 1,617 health workers was selected using a stratified random sampling technique, while 1,601 completed questionnaires were available for analysis. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire, and the attitude section consisted of nine items measured on a four-point Likert scale. The instrument demonstrated acceptable reliability, with a split-half reliability coefficient of 0.82 for the attitude section. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation, and independent-samples t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed an overall mean attitude score of 2.43, which was below the criterion mean of 2.50, indicating an unfavourable attitude towards COVID-19 safety measures. Significant differences were found according to sex (t = -8.046, p < .001), years of professional experience (t = -7.728, p < .001), and educational qualification (t = -7.931, p < .001). Female health workers, more experienced health workers, and better-qualified health workers recorded more favourable attitude scores than their respective counterparts. However, no significant difference was found according to age (t = 1.459, p = .145). The study concluded that health workers in Edo State had an overall unfavourable attitude towards COVID-19 safety measures, although attitudes varied significantly according to sex, professional experience, and educational qualification. It was recommended that healthcare institutions implement targeted and continuous training programmes, with particular attention to groups demonstrating less favourable attitudes, to strengthen acceptance and adherence to COVID-19 safety measures.

Keywords: COVID-19, safety measures, Attitude, Health Workers, Healthcare workers, Edo State, Nigeria.