Norms, Perceptions and Practices of the Population on COVID-19 in Three Sites in Abidjan: A University, a Market and a Precarious Neighbourhood

Abstract

<jats:p>The "covid-19" coronavirus disease is a pandemic, a health crisis and a public health problem. This health crisis has become a total phenomenon affecting all sectors of the city and all dimensions of society. The first suspected case detected in March 2020 led the Ivorian state to take preventive measures against the pandemic. These include the adoption of barrier measures. However, different observations have been made depending on the time, place and population: the population has gone from a general panic to a trivialisation of the pandemic; there is a conflict between medical knowledge, between medical knowledge and popular knowledge and a failure to respect barrier measures depending on the place and social category. Every disease is a social construction because it is perceived differently in each society and culture. And it is the social representations that people have of an illness that determine their attitudes and practices. Our qualitative study contributes to describe the norms, perceptions and practices of the populations in three sites in Abidjan.</jats:p>