Access to COVID-19 Information in Rural Communities in Sistan, Iran

Objective (s): The Covid-19 or the respiratory acute syndrome disease has become one of the most important health concerns worldwide. Hence, receiving the correct information is a basic need for prevention of the disease. This study aimed to assess how rural population accessed the Covid-19 information. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2022 to February 2023. Using the multi-stage sampling method, nine hundred rural populations from the Sistan, Iran considering the inclusion criteria randomly were entered into the study. Data collection instrument included socio-demographic and specific items. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, percentage) and statistical tests (chi square test, and one-way anova test). The significant level set at p≤ 0.05. Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.85 ± 12.56 years, and 52.4 percent of the participants were women and 38% had primary education. Data analysis according to different social media showed that 66.6% of participants obtained information through rural health workers and the mean scores of knowledge (14.15±2.84 out of a total score of 16) and preventive behaviors (16.69±4 out of 21) were significantly higher than who obtained information from other different sources. In addition, the lowest source information was radio (8.3%). Conclusion: According to the findings, rural health workers were the most important source for providing information on Covid-19 among rural population. It seems that the rural health networks have a vital role in health promotion of rural population.