Page 92 - IJPS-9-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Assessment of impact of COVID-19

and/or false information shared by unofficial channels handwashing with soap and water. In Ecuador, as in other
such as social media and some mass media which parts of the world, many rural communities are unable to
affected the veracity and credibility of the public health access water easily, and soap can be a high commodity. The
messages. However, as shown by the results of our study, same applies to the use of face masks when there is lack of
it became apparent that several months after the onset financial resources or implementing social distance when
of the pandemic, the knowledge about how the disease five or more family members live in a poorly constructed
is transmitted through the use of public transportation, shelter.
lack of mask usage, overcrowding or prolonged time of
exposure, not washing hands frequently or not using hand Identifying barriers and motivators to behavior change
sanitizer had increased among the population, which and understanding how communities acquire their
knowledge about prevention and treatment of infectious
may have demonstrated that, at least in theory, the official diseases is crucial to design a comprehensive set of
messages had been understood and accepted.
tailored interventions to promote a desired collective
The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the behavior and to better channel formal messages to prevent
population was brought up by several participants. The fact misinformation.
that the economy was almost shut down in a country that is
already struggling economically, combined with the locked Acknowledgments
down which prevented people from working in what is a The authors want to thank all the focus group participants.
predominantly small business economy contributed to a Their contribution and insights were very valuable and we
sense of isolation, despair and poor mental health.
are forever grateful for sharing their practices, struggles,
Other common themes found in this study included and traditions.
the impact of religious faith which determines how people
approached the disease as if it were beyond their control Funding
and in the hands of a higher power, and the use of folk None.
medicine to prevent and treat COVID-19. The traditional
medicine of their ancestors is based on a long period Conflict of interest
of accumulated knowledge and experiences that have
identified certain medicinal properties in the local plants We declare that there are no conflicts of interest in this
(natural or cultivated) to reduce these symptoms. They study.
trust in their own experience and give authenticity to their Author contributions
own medicine when pharmaceutical medicine discredits
their cultural values or is unable to provide a cure. Conceptualization: Denice Curtis, Fernando Ortega,
Karina Pisco
Interestingly, our study demonstrated that medicinal
plants were not only used to treat the symptoms of Formal analysis: Denice Curtis
COVID-19 in rural indigenous communities, but also in Investigation: Karina Pisco, Denice Curtis, Fernando
Ortega, Pilar Martin
several neighborhoods in the city. We believed that these Methodology: Fernando Ortega
ancestral practices are an integral part of our culture and
were used as a mechanism to deal with mild symptoms Writing – original draft: Karina Pisco, Pilar Martin,
as no treatment was offered by pharmaceutical medicine, Chinedu Obioha
not only in Ecuador, but also among other indigenous Writing – review & editing: Chinedu Obioha, Pilar Martin
communities all over the world. (Ganjhu et al., 2015; Ethics approval and consent to participate
Iloanusi et al., 2021)
Ethical Approval from the University of San Francisco de
5. Conclusions Quito IRB Protocol 2020-048M.
Promoting changes in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs, Consent for publication
and behaviors are not a simple task. We need to recognize
that adopting some new collective behaviors can create The informed consent was obtained at the beginning of
some resistance and opposition to the implementation of each of the focus groups. Participants were advised that
basic preventive practices such as frequent handwashing they could withdraw from the session at any time, and
and use of masks. Policies and regulations must take into that they were free to not answer any questions that made
consideration the socioeconomic and cultural environment them feel uncomfortable. Participants were also assured
of the communities when promoting, for example, frequent that their names would not be included in any part of

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2023) 86 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.406