title: Assessments of Ebola knowledge, attitudes and practices in Forécariah, Guinea and Kambia, Sierra Leone, July-August 2015.
abstract: The border region of Forécariah (Guinea) and Kambia (Sierra Leone) was of immense interest to the West Africa Ebola response. Cross-sectional household surveys with multi-stage cluster sampling procedure were used to collect random samples from Kambia (n= 635) in July 2015 and Forécariah (n= 502) in August 2015 to assess public knowledge, attitudes and practices related to Ebola. Knowledge of the disease was high in both places, and handwashing with soap and water was the most widespread prevention practice. Acceptance of safe alternatives to traditional burials was significantly lower in Forécariah compared with Kambia. In both locations, there was a minority who held discriminatory attitudes towards survivors. Radio was the predominant source of information in both locations, but those from Kambia were more likely to have received Ebola information from community sources (mosques/churches, community meetings or health workers) compared with those in Forécariah. These findings contextualize the utility of Ebola health messaging during the epidemic and suggest the importance of continued partnership with community leaders, including religious leaders, as a prominent part of future public health protection.This article is part of the themed issue 'The 2013-2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control'.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA medfaljay@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mohamed F
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7206-8042
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Jalloh
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bunnell
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: FOCUS 1000, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
authors.forename: Mohammad B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jalloh
authors.affiliation: Santé Plus, Conakry, Guinea.
authors.forename: Alpha Mamoudou
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.affiliation: Independent Consultant, Seattle, WA 98102, USA.
authors.forename: Jamaica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corker
authors.affiliation: FOCUS 1000, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sengeh
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: VanSteelandt
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Wenshu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
authors.forename: Foday
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dafae
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Conakry, Guinea.
authors.forename: Alpha Ahmadou
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Lise D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hersey
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marston
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Redd
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D029043:Ebolavirus; D005260:Female; D016701:Guinea; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012807:Sierra Leone; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ebola knowledge; Guinea; Sierra Leone; attitudes; practices