Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana.
School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana.
J Prev Med Hyg. 2022 Apr 26;63(1):E59-E68. doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2022.63.1.2271. eCollection 2022 Mar.
Handwashing has been recognized as a convenient, effective, and cost-effective means of preventing communicable diseases. However, many people overlook the importance of handwashing when engaging in activities that require handwashing due to various factors. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of handwashing knowledge, attitudes, and practices and determine their relationships and how they are affected by sex, educational background, and age.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 636 respondents who received and completed an online questionnaire that was disseminated to the contacts of the researchers via WhatsApp, Email, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Respondents were presented with several statements to assess their handwashing knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
Overall, 82.2% of respondents had good knowledge, 91% had a positive attitude, and 48.4% adhered to good handwashing practices. Having a high school level of education (OR = 0.193, p = 0.034.), (OR = 0.145, p = 0.000) and (OR = 0.448, p = 0.049) decreased the likelihood of having good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices than in persons with tertiary level education. Predictors of good handwashing practices were knowledge (OR = 1.059, p = 0.37) and attitude (OR = 1.095, p = 0.000). These results suggest that having a higher level of education could increase a person's knowledge and attitude, which in turn enhances the likelihood that the person would adhere to most handwashing and hand hygiene practices.
Enhancing people's handwashing practices requires positive attitudes and good knowledge about handwashing. These need to be complemented by enhanced access to handwashing facilities and innovative measures to enforce and encourage compliance.
洗手已被公认为预防传染病的一种便捷、有效且经济实惠的手段。然而，由于各种因素，许多人在需要洗手的活动中忽略了洗手的重要性。本研究旨在评估手卫生知识、态度和实践的水平，并确定它们之间的关系以及它们如何受到性别、教育背景和年龄的影响。
采用横断面调查方法，对 636 名通过研究者的联系人在 WhatsApp、电子邮件、领英和 Facebook 上收到并完成在线问卷的受访者进行调查。向受访者提供了一些陈述，以评估他们的手卫生知识、态度和实践。
总体而言，82.2%的受访者具有良好的知识水平，91%的受访者具有积极的态度，48.4%的受访者遵守良好的洗手习惯。具有高中学历（OR = 0.193，p = 0.034）、（OR = 0.145，p = 0.000）和（OR = 0.448，p = 0.049）的人，与具有高等教育学历的人相比，具有良好知识、积极态度和良好实践的可能性降低。良好洗手习惯的预测因素是知识（OR = 1.059，p = 0.37）和态度（OR = 1.095，p = 0.000）。这些结果表明，较高的教育水平可以提高一个人的知识和态度，从而增加其遵守大多数洗手和手部卫生实践的可能性。
增强人们的洗手习惯需要积极的态度和良好的洗手知识。这些需要辅以更好的洗手设施和创新措施来执行和鼓励遵守。
