Community Responsiveness to Health and Social Protocols for Curbing the Spread of COVID-19 Pandemic in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined community responsiveness to health and social 
protocols for curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Akwa Ibom 
and Rivers States of Nigeria. Two (2) research questions and two (2) 
hypotheses were answered and tested in the study respectively. The design 
of the study was the descriptive survey and the population as the 3624 
villages in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. These states have a corresponding 
number of 3624 Village Heads from which 1087(30%) were selected as 
sample using the proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The 
subjects of the study responded to a 39-item instruments titled Community 
Responsiveness to Health and Social Protocols for COVID-19 Pandemic 
Curbing Scale (CRHSDCPCS), designed by the researchers in the modified 4-
point Likert Scale model, with a reliability index of 0.85, obtained using 
Cronbach Alpha Statistical procedure. Mean and standard deviation were 
used in answering the research questions while z-test was used in testing the 
hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results of the study show that, 
community responsiveness to health and social protocols for curbing the 
spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the two states was to a high extent 

and that no significant differences existed between the respondents on the 
extent of responsiveness to the protocols. The study concluded that 
communities made great efforts in adhering to the health and social 
protocols for curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through the 
extent of their adherence did not have a comparable balance. Consequently, 
it was recommended that, stakeholders in communities’ health and social 
protocols should continue to enlighten community residents on the need to 
adhere to health and social protocols during and after emergencies by 
showing good examples in their actions since the pandemic is yet to be over.