A crisis amidst many others: COVID-19 response satisfaction during the economic collapse and post-Beirut port explosion in Lebanon 10.55131/jphd/2024/220102

Main Article Content

Rania Itani
Lina Karout
Mohamad B. Kassab
Samar Karout
Makram Rabah
Huda El Mais
Ali O. Safar
Ismail Karam Al Hajj
Mohamad Fawzi Awad
Abdalla El-Lakany

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon has been compounded by the economic collapse and devastating ‎Beirut port explosion, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis. This study aimed to assess the satisfaction of ‎the Lebanese population with the government's response to the pandemic and evaluate the public ‎perception of the economic crisis and the Beirut port blast's impact on the COVID-19 situation. This is a web-based cross-sectional study that utilized a self-administered questionnaire comprising closed-ended ‎questions with predefined response options. To identify predictors of the governmental response score, a ‎multiple linear regression analysis was conducted. A total of 2,384 participants were enrolled, with a mean ‎COVID-SCORE of 15.38 ± 5.28 (out of 40 points). The majority of participants‎‏ ‏‎ (2,163, 90.7%) expressed ‎mistrust in the Lebanese government's ability to effectively address unexpected health threats related to the ‎COVID-19 pandemic. Two-thirds of the participants (1,849, 77.6%) ‎ believed that the economic crisis had ‎impacted the government's response to the pandemic. Nearly 70% of the participants perceived that the ‎Beirut port explosion contributed to COVID-19 transmission. Government mistrust, along with the ‎economic crisis impact, were significantly associated with lower satisfaction scores (P < 0.001). This study ‎revealed a significant level of dissatisfaction among the Lebanese population regarding the government's ‎response to the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring a lack of trust in its ability to effectively manage the ‎crisis. The compounding challenges arising from the Beirut port explosion, economic collapse, and depleted ‎resources have further impeded Lebanon's ability to navigate the pandemic successfully. Urgent ‎interventions and collaborative efforts are required to effectively manage the economic and political ‎repercussions, rebuild a resilient healthcare system, and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. ‎

Article Details

How to Cite
1.
Itani R, Karout L, Kassab MB, Karout S, Rabah M, Huda El Mais HEM, Safar AO, Al Hajj I, Awad MF, El-Lakany A. A crisis amidst many others: COVID-19 response satisfaction during the economic collapse and post-Beirut port explosion in Lebanon: 10.55131/jphd/2024/220102. J Public Hlth Dev [Internet]. 2023 Dec. 12 [cited 2024 Oct. 15];22(1):12-21. Available from: https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/AIHD-MU/article/view/264808
Section
Original Articles
Author Biographies

Rania Itani, Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

Lina Karout, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 25 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States of America

Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 25 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States of America

Mohamad B. Kassab, Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States of America

Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States of America

Samar Karout, Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

Pharmacy Practice Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

Makram Rabah, Department of History and Archeology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Department of History and Archeology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

Huda El Mais, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, ‎Canada

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, ‎Canada

Ali O. Safar, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon

Ismail Karam Al Hajj, Internal Medicine Department, ‏Faculty of Medicine, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, ‎Lebanon

Internal Medicine Department, ‏Faculty of Medicine, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, ‎Lebanon

Mohamad Fawzi Awad, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon

Abdalla El-Lakany, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon. Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon.

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

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