Table 2 Emerging themes and key quotes on Ebola-related behaviors, trust, and beliefs from focus group discussion participants in Liberia, 2018
Topics | Emerging themes | Participant viewpoints | Key quotes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Â | Handwashing | Handwashing behaviors changed during Ebola and remain changed in 2018 | Like before some people never had the idea of washing hands, even if you change your baby diaper or use the bathroom or something... But Ebola came everybody got the message. -Tubmanburg Women, R1 |
Behavior change | Social distancing | Social distancing significant during Ebola but had reversed by 2018 | During the Ebola time when you go to the mosque you can’t sit down beside one another, no shaking hands. But now... you shake everybody hand. -Tubmanburg Women, R3 |
| Â | Burial practices | Cultural burial practices were stopped during Ebola but had mostly reversed by 2018 | Ebola people they come take you they go chuck you away... but now, now they bathing body. -Tubmanburg Women, R3 |
| Â | Healthcare seeking | Would not call the Ebola hotline, perceived as fatal to do so | If you call them they come carry your patients never see that patient again. -Careysburg Youth, R1 |
| Â | Government trust | Trust decreased during Ebola due to perceived incompetent management and corruption | Before the Ebola, I trusted the government fully, but when Ebola hit I lose confidence in the government. -Duazon Men, R5 |
Community trust | iNGO trust | iNGO workers were more trustworthy due to perceived benevolent incentives | I trusted the International partners that came here during the crisis time because they helped us. If somebody can put their life on the line for you, they should be commended for that. So they had no business coming, but... they volunteer to come and they came and help us. -Careysburg Men, R1 |
|  | Is Ebola real? | Personal experience with Ebola led to greater degree of belief | They took my auntie’s son, 24 year old man, the very next morning he pass away. So I say if my auntie’s son can die then we need to take Ebola business serious from there. -Duazon Youth, R8 |
Beliefs | Causes of Ebola | Ebola causal explanations in 2018 include: scientific understanding, a manmade virus, dirty water, and witchcraft | What I saw during the Ebola time is, the virus is a manmade virus, is not natural. They put it in the atmosphere to generate more fund. -Careysburg Youth, R4 |
|  | Other beliefs | Preventive measures were believed to help that did not agree with scientific understanding | If you drink cane juice [rum] you know Ebola can’t affect you. That you know right there I start drinking you know from there I started going into the cane juice shop. -Tubmanburg Youth, R3 |