Knowledge, performance, and awareness towards the use of disinfectant and hand sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire-based survey

Abstract :

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the critical role of disinfectants and hand sanitizers in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, performance, and awareness of individuals regarding the use of these essential hygiene products during the COVID-19 pandemic in Libya, with a focus on the city of Zawia. A structured questionnaire comprising 41 items was utilized to gather data from 200 participants, covering demographics, knowledge about disinfectants and hand sanitizers, performance in utilizing these products, and awareness of their significance. The majority of respondents were female, reflecting a higher awareness and performance level compared to male participants. Social media emerged as a significant source of information, influencing participants' knowledge and practices. Despite a high level of education among participants, significant knowledge gaps were identified, highlighting the need for targeted educational initiatives. The study revealed a marked increase in the use of household disinfectants and hand sanitizers since the onset of the pandemic. However, it also identified high-risk practices, such as mixing chemical products and ingesting alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The findings underscore the importance of ongoing education and awareness campaigns to promote the safe and effective use of disinfectants and hand sanitisers in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19. Addressing these knowledge gaps and promoting proper hygiene practices is crucial for enhancing public health outcomes and reducing the risk of infection in Libya and beyond.

References

1. World Health Organization (2020) Rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19): interim guidance, 19 March 2020. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/ 331498
2. Hilhorst D, Mena R (2010) When COVID-19 meets conflict: politics of the pandemic response in fragile and conflict-affected states. Disasters. 45 (Suppl 1): S174-S194. doi: 10.1111/disa.12514
3. Malik VS, Hu FB (2022) The role of sugar-sweetened beverages in the global epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 18 (4): 205-218. doi: 10.1038/s41574-021-00627-6
4. Zhang X, Ma Y, Kong L, Li Y, Wang J, Li N, Xia Y, Wang P, Zhang M, Liu L, Zhang D, Wen L, Wang S, Liu Z, Yue X, Wang J, Zhang T, Meng X (2023) The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hand hygiene compliance of healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in East China. Frontiers in Medicine (Lausanne). 10: 1160828. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1160828
5. Shbaklo N, Lupia T, De Rosa FG, Corcione S (2021) Infection control in the era of COVID-19: A narrative review. Antibiotics (Basel). 10 (10): 1244. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics10101244
6. Douno M, Rocha C, Borchert M, Nabe I, Müller SA (2023) Qualitative assessment of hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers prior to the implementation of the WHO Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy at Faranah Regional Hospital, Guinea. PLOS Global Public Health. 3 (2): e0001581. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001581
7. Remuzzi A, Remuzzi G (2020) COVID-19 and Italy: what next?. The Lancet. 395 (10231): 1225-1228. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30627-9
8. Zhong BL, Luo W, Li HM, Zhang QQ, Liu XG, Li WT, Li Y (2020) Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Chinese residents during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak: a quick online cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Biological Sciences. 16 (10): 1745-1752. doi: 10.7150/ijbs. 45221
9. Donelle L, Comer L, Hiebert B, Hall J, Shelley JJ, Smith MJ, Kothari A, Burkell J, Stranges S, Cooke T, Shelley JM, Gilliland J, Ngole M, Facca D (2023) Use of digital technologies for public health surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review. Digital Health. 9: 20552076231173220. doi: 10.1177/205520762 31173220
10. Elhadi M, Msherghi A, Khaled A, Alsoufi A, Alhadi A, Kareem A, Ashini A, Alsharif T, Alhodiri A, Altaeb E, Hamed M, Itrunbah A, Mohmmed S, Alameen H, Idheiraj H, Shuwayyah A, Alhudhairy S, Alansari A, Abraheem W, Akl H, Nagib T, Almugaddami A, Aljameel B, Muamr S, Alsuwiyah S, Alsghair A, Soula E, Buzreg A, Alagelli F, Aldireewi A, Bareem A, Alshareea E, Gemberlo A, Zaid A (2022) Impact of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among the Libyan population. PLoS 17 (4): e0267426. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267426
11. Bish A, Michie S (2010) Demographic and attitudinal determinants of protective behaviours during a pandemic: A review. British Journal of Health Psychology. 15 (4): 797-824. doi: 10.1348/135910710X485826
12. Krawczyk K, Chelkowski T, Laydon DJ, Mishra S, Xifara D, Gibert B, Flaxman S, Mellan T, Schwämmle V, Röttger R, Hadsund JT, Bhatt S (2021) Quantifying online news media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic: Text mining study and resource. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 23 (6): e28253 doi: 10.2196/28253
13. Alwan N, Almazrouei S, Almazrouei M, Aldhaheri J, Alismaili F, Ghach W (2023) Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Frontiers Public Health. 11: 1214240. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1214240
14. Dhama K, Patel SK, Kumar R, Masand R, Rana J, Yatoo MI, Tiwari R, Sharun K, Mohapatra RK, Natesan S, Dhawan M, Ahmad T, Emran TB, Malik YS, Harapan H (2021) The role of disinfectants and sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and deleterious effects on humans and the environment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 28 (26): 34211-34228. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-14429-w
15. Fujii R, Suzuki K, Niimi J (2021) Public perceptions, individual characteristics, and preventive behaviors for COVID-19 in six countries: a cross-sectional study. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. 26: 29. doi: 10.1186/s12199-021-00952-2
16. World Health Organization (2023) Guidelines for sanitization practices in public health: A review. World Health Organization Technical Report. 15-32. ISBN 978-92-4-007629-7 (electronic) ISBN 978-92-4-007630-3 (print).
17. Ghach W, Safwan J, Kerek R, Alwan N (2023) Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use among the university communities in Lebanon. BMC Public Health. 23 (1): 1582. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16515-9
18. Dwipayanti NMU, Lubis DS, Harjana NPA (2021) Public perception and hand hygiene behavior during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Frontiers in Public Health. 9: 621800. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.621800.
19. Yip C, Han NR, Sng BL (2016) Legal and ethical issues in research. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia. 60 (9): 684-688. doi: 10.4103/0019-5049.190627
20. Newman A, Bavik YL, Mount M, Shao B (2020) Data collection via online platforms: Challenges and recommendations for future research. Applied Psychology. 70 (3): 1380-1402. doi: 10.1111/apps.12302
21. Uwe Engel U, Ben Jann B, Peter Lynn P, Annette Scherpenzeel A, Sturgis P (2014) Improving survey methods lessons from recent research. 452 Pages 21 B/W Illustrations, Routledge. ISBN: 9780415817622.
22. Apate SS, Kamble N (2019) An analytical study of hygiene practices and its impact of health status of the household. International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development. 8 (3): 152-159. doi: 10.31142/ijtsrd23089
23. Stack J (1995) The analysis of survey data. European Journal of Operational Research. 81 (1): 1-16. doi: 10.1016 /0377-2217(94)00146-4
24. Kavanagh SA, Haintz GL, McKenzie H, Ong T, Adeleye FO (2023) Gender theory and global public health. In: Liamputtong P (eds) Handbook of social sciences and global public health. Springer, Cham. ISBN: 978-3-030-96778-9. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_25-1
25. Lee Y, Kim WS, Paik NJ (2017) Gender differences in physical activity and health-related behaviors among stroke survivors: data from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation. 24 (5): 381-387. doi: 10.1080/10749357.2017.1304877
26. Lewin S (2010) Gender differences in emerging infectious diseases. Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine. 2010-3-17: 497-515. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-374271-1.00045-9
27. Kanchan S, Gaidhane A (2023) Social media role and its impact on public health: A narrative review. Cureus. 15 (1): e33737. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33737
28. Christenson EC, Cronk R, Atkinson H, Bhatt A, Berdiel E, Cawley M, Cho G, Coleman CK, Harrington C, Heilferty K, Fejfar D, Grant EJ, Grigg K, Joshi T, Mohan S, Pelak G, Shu Y, Bartram J (2021) Evidence map and systematic review of disinfection efficacy on environmental surfaces in healthcare facilities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18 (21): 11100. doi: 10.3390/ijerph 182111100
29. Hahn RA, Truman BI (2015) Education improves public health and promotes health equity. International Journal of Health Services. 45 (4): 657-78. doi: 10.1177/0020731415585986
30. Dindarloo K, Aghamolaei T, Ghanbarnejad A, Turki H, Hoseinvandtabar S, Pasalari H, Ghaffari HR (2020) Pattern of disinfectants use and their adverse effects on the consumers after COVID-19 outbreak. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering. 18 (2): 1301-1310. doi: 10.1007/s40201-020-00548-y
31. Natnael T, Adane M, Goraw S (2022) Hand hygiene practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors among barbers and beauty salon workers in Ethiopia. PLoS One. 17 (7): e0269225. doi: 10.1371/journal. pone.0269225
32. Lee M, Kim JH, Lee D, Kim J, Lim H, Seo J, Park YK (2018) Health risk assessment on hazardous ingredients in household deodorizing products. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15 (4): 744. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040744
33. Victor OS, Agbele AT, Ayo-Awe T, Modupe O, Bridget A, Funmilayo OM, Anuoluwapo A, Mobolaji A (2020) Alcohol-based hand sanitizers: Review of efficacy and adverse effect. Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing. 80 (4): 2020. doi: 10.7176/JHMN/81-01

Citation :

Neser et al. (2024) Knowledge, performance, and awareness towards the use of disinfectant and hand sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire-based survey. Mediterr J Pharm Pharm Sci. 4 (2): 55-63. [Article Number: 159]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11479336