Evaluating the effects of a multisectoral dialogue-based COVID-19 awareness-raising intervention in a limited-resource setting: A quasi-experimental study in Senegal

Background: Sustainable and effective strategies to increase disease awareness and vaccination willingness are crucial in limited-resource settings for the prevention of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Yet, in the region of sub-Saharan Africa COVID-19 vaccination rates remain considerably lower than in other world regions. This study aims to assess the effects of a multisectoral dialogue-based COVID-19 awareness-raising intervention implemented in the Jaxaay-Parcelles commune in Dakar Metropolitan Area, Senegal. Methods: This study adopted a quasi-experimental design. The STOP COVID-19 intervention was developed through a multisectoral collaboration involving academia, non-governmental organisations, local authorities and active community engagement initiatives. Community volunteers delivered the awareness-raising sessions through household visits. Data on the outcomes were collected through population-based repeated cross-sectional surveys, prior to the intervention (n = 863) and post-intervention (n = 737). A difference-in-difference analysis with propensity score weighting was used to explore changes in community awareness and attitudes towards COVID-19 and vaccination against the disease between the intervention and control groups before and after the STOP COVID-19 campaign. Results: From August to November 2021, 124 awareness-raising sessions were organized. Difference-in-difference analysis showed a significant relative decrease in the proportion of insufficiently informed individuals about COVID-19 vaccination in the intervention site (DID = -0.10, CI 95 %: −0.21, −0.003). The intervention was associated with a less pronounced increase in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (DID = -0.11, CI 95 %: −0.21, −0.01) and did not affect the attitudes towards paediatric vaccination (DID = 0.02, CI 95 %: −0.07, 0.11). Conclusions: Our results suggest that our multisectoral dialogue-based intervention conceptualised and implemented through active community engagement can be effective in limited-resource settings to enhance population awareness about COVID-19 and vaccination against the disease. The insights gained from the intervention can be used to inform future vaccination campaigns and other public health interventions in similar settings.