Influence of Gender, Age and Field of Study on Hand Hygiene in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context

Area-level deprivation and handwashing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multilevel analysis on a nationwide survey in Korea

This study investigated the association between area deprivation level and performance of handwashing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korean adults. This study used data from the 2015 Population and Housing Census data to measure area deprivation level. The 2020 Korea Community Health Survey was used for all other variables, including hand hygiene behavior (August through November 2020). The association between area deprivation level and practice of handwashing behavior was examined using multilevel logistic regression analysis. The study population comprised 215,676 adults aged 19 years or above. Compared to the least area deprived group, the most deprived group was more likely to not wash hands after using the restroom (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.13-1.82), after coming home (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.43-2.39), and using soap (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.29-1.84). The findings suggest the importance of considering area deprivation in implementing policies that promote handwashing, particularly during a pandemic.

Assessing hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among Guatemalan primary school students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Hand hygiene (HH) is an important practice that prevents transmission of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. However, in resource-limited areas, where water and soap are not always available, it can be difficult to practice HH correctly and at appropriate moments. The purpose of this study was to assess HH knowledge and behaviors among students from six elementary schools in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala to identify gaps that could later inform interventions to improve HH.

METHODS

We conducted knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) surveys among primary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2022. We also observed students' HH practices at three different moments during the day, making note of the use of the HH station and materials, duration of handwashing, presence of a HH assistant, and the students' sex. We also used the Quantitative Personal Hygiene Assessment Tool (qPHAT), to measure hand dirtiness before eating, after restroom use, and upon arriving to school.

RESULTS

We surveyed 109 students across six schools. Mean scores were 4 out of 5 for knowledge, 8 out of 8 for attitudes, and 6 out of 7 for HH practices. Most students identified "before eating" as a critical moment for HH (68.8%), fewer identified "after restroom use" (31.2%), and no students mentioned HH being necessary "after coughing or sneezing". We observed 326 HH opportunities of which 51.2% performed correct HH (used water and soap for at least 20 s or used alcohol-based hand rub, where materials were available). We collected 82 qPHAT hand swabs. A Kruskal Wallis test revealed a significant difference in hand dirtiness between entering the school and after restroom use (p = 0.017), but no significant difference before eating and after entering the school (p = 0.6988).

CONCLUSIONS

The results from the KAP survey show high scores, however correct identification of key moments for HH was relatively uncommon, especially after restroom use and after coughing or sneezing. Additionally, half of HH opportunities observed had correct HH practices and on average, hands were dirtiest when arriving at school. These findings will inform interventions to improve HH practices and behaviors, which will be evaluated with follow-up data collection.

Understanding COVID: Collaborative Government Campaign for Citizen Digital Health Literacy in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The strategy "Understanding COVID" was a Public Health campaign designed in 2020 and launched in 2021 in Asturias-Spain to provide reliable and comprehensive information oriented to vulnerable populations. The campaign involved groups considered socially vulnerable and/or highly exposed to COVID-19 infection: shopkeepers and hoteliers, worship and religious event participants, school children and their families, and scattered rural populations exposed to the digital divide. The purpose of this article was to describe the design of the "Understanding COVID" strategy and the evaluation of the implementation process. The strategy included the design and use of several educational resources and communication strategies, including some hundred online training sessions based on the published studies and adapted to the language and dissemination approaches, that reached 1056 people of different ages and target groups, an accessible website, an informative video channel, posters and other pedagogical actions in education centers. It required a great coordination effort involving different public and third-sector entities to provide the intended pandemic protection and prevention information at that difficult time. A communication strategy was implemented to achieve different goals: reaching a diverse population and adapting the published studies to different ages and groups, focusing on making it comprehensible and accessible for them. In conclusion, given there is a common and sufficiently important goal, it is possible to achieve effective collaboration between different governmental bodies to develop a coordinated strategy to reach the most vulnerable populations while taking into consideration their different interests and needs.

"I Can Sense When My Hands Need Washing": A Qualitative Study and Thematic Analysis of Factors Affecting Young Adults' Hand Hygiene

Handwashing is one of the most effective and low-cost public health measures. However, it is often not practiced frequently enough or correctly by the public. Young adults in particular have poorer intentions to wash their hands, frequency of handwashing, and sanitizer use compared to other age groups. Therefore, there is a need to identify barriers and facilitators affecting hand hygiene within this group. The objective of this qualitative study was to apply the Theoretical Domains Framework to explore factors which influence hand hygiene among young adults aged 18 to 25 years old. An online questionnaire (n = 37) and thematic analysis were used to generate 3 overarching themes. The main findings indicated internal factors such as knowledge and intentions; interpersonal factors such as social norms; and environmental factors such as reminders, cues, accessibility, and cleanliness of handwashing facilities determined the level of hand hygiene practiced among young adults. The findings suggest that behavior change techniques such as social comparisons and tailored messaging to suit the needs of young adults may be more effective at increasing hand hygiene.

The Relationship between Prevention and Panic from COVID-19, Ethical Principles, Life Expectancy, Anxiety, Depression and Stress

The present study aims to assess the relationship between prevention and panic from COVID-19, ethical principles, life expectancy, anxiety, depression, and stress in auditors and financial managers of small- and medium-sized Iraqi firms. In other words, this paper seeks to answer the question of whether different types of prevention and panic from COVID-19 can enhance the ethical principles, life expectancy, anxiety, depression, and stress, or not. The study method is practical in its objective and descriptive survey procedure. The study's statistical population includes 185 employed auditors in audit firms, and 215 financial managers of small- and medium-sized Iraqi firms were selected as a sample of the study using the Cochran Sampling Method. In this paper, PLS tests are used to assess the effect of independent variables on the dependent variable. The results indicate no significant relationship between prevention from COVID-19 and ethical principles and life expectancy. However, the association between prevention from COVID-19 and anxiety, depression, and stress, and between panic from COVID-19 and ethical principles, life expectancy, anxiety, depression, and stress is positive and significant. The higher the panic from COVID-19, the more ethical principles, life expectancy, anxiety, depression, and stress. Since no study has been carried out so far on the effect of prevention and panic from COVID-19, ethical principles, life expectancy, depression, and stress in Iraqi firms, the present study results can provide valuable information and contribute to the development of science and knowledge.