How Can Community Engagement Help the Health System in Controlling the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rural Areas?

Aims: Community engagement, as a key factor in changing behavior, can affect the prevention and management of communicable diseases in rural areas. This study aimed to determine the role of community engagement innovations in controlling the Coronavirus pandemic in rural areas. Participants Methods: This qualitative study was carried out using observation, reviewing documents, and semi-structured interviews, for data gathering. Interviews were done by Key informant persons that were selected purposefully. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed manually by using the thematic analysis method. Findings: Forty-five codes and three themes were obtained by open, axial, and selective coding methods. The main themes were Management and leadership, public confidence and trust, and accountability and transparency which could have many important roles in engaging people in controlling COVID-19. Conclusion: the findings show that using community engagement in rural areas can play a critical role in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but it depends on the cultural, social, and economic status of the community. In addition, promoting health literacy and a sense of responsibility for individuals for their health and the health of others can increase the success of these innovations.