¹,²,³Sukanya Prasad MBBS, MPH,²Liliane Smatt BA,² Narayana Prasad MD, MPH, MS,²,⁴Mayra Volquez MSc

¹Medical officer, Miracle Medical Centre, St. Thomas, Jamaica
²Public Health literacy, www.publichealthliteracy.org USA
³Walden University, USA
⁴Colorado State University, USA

Aim:
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis affecting several countries, including Jamaica. The risk perception of a crisis is shaped by both real hazards and perceived threats. Therefore, a cross-sectional research survey was conducted in August 2020 to evaluate Jamaicans' perceived health concerns during COVID-19.
Methods:
A cross-sectional randomized online questionnaire survey was sent to a total of 268 participants. As a result, 92 people (34%) responded to the online questionnaire survey in August 2020, and SPSS analyzed the data.
Results and Discussion:
Out of 92 respondents, 78% were females, 22% were males, and more than 70% of participants were over 35 yrs. old. 52% of participants perceived the country was not prepared for a crisis such as COVID-19. The biggest concerns during this crisis were family health (39%), economic hardship (28%), societal health (20%), and personal health (13%). In personal health, the majority of Jamaicans were concerned about physical and mental health during this crisis.
Conclusion:
The responding and understanding of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are functions of both natural threats and perceived risks. The interaction of physical health and risk perception is complex and dependent on understanding the crisis, uncertainty, and destructive potential. The results suggest a crisis burden on mental health in addition to physical health; therefore, an effective campaign should be planned to prevent a deepening mental health crisis. This research study suggests a potential burden on societal health in healthcare delivery systems and other public health services. The awareness program should be promoted to motivate and help the Jamaicans to handle the crisis. The policymakers should consider working with government, science, and faith-based institutions to develop a multidisciplinary framework to control the COVID-19 pandemic's negative impact on Jamaican society.

Mental health, COVID-19, pandemic, healthcare crisis

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VOLUME 04 ISSUE 09 SEPTEMBER 2021