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

Author

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  • Maria Barcenilla-Guitard

    (Nursing Area, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, 25198 Lleida, Spain)

  • Anna Espart

    (Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, Serra Húnter Lecturer, University of Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
    Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
    Development of Healthy Organizations and Territories (DOTS), 25001 Lleida, Spain
    Research Group of Health Care (GRECS), Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research, Dr. Pifarré Foundation, IRBLleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain)

Abstract

The effectiveness of hand hygiene (HH) on reducing the transmission of contagious diseases is widely known, although its use has been commonly associated with the area of healthcare. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HH was one of the main measures established to contain the transmission of this virus. The identification of the main barriers and facilitators of HH in young adults (aged 18–29 years old) will contribute to the better planning of HH training and its posterior success. A total of 716 young adults participated in the study by completing the ad hoc online questionnaire ( #YesWeHand ), which analyzed, among other aspects, the age range, gender and field of study that they belonged to. From the total participants, 81.3% indicated knowing how to perform HH correctly, while 49.4% affirmed having received training. The main reason for performing HH was concern for their own safety and that of others (75.8%), while forgetfulness (36.5%) was the main reason for not performing HH. In the group of young adults, being female, aged between 22 and 25 years old, and having studied in the area of Health Sciences, had a positive influence on correct HH. It is deemed necessary to maintain HH beyond the primary education stages, and to adapt it to different fields of education, ages, and genders, in order to maximize its success. Given the overrepresentation of participants from the healthcare field, it would be desirable to conduct more studies to ensure a better representation of the different educational levels and fields of study of the participants, in order to identify, in a more reliable way, the variables that influence HH.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Barcenilla-Guitard & Anna Espart, 2021. "Influence of Gender, Age and Field of Study on Hand Hygiene in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study in the COVID-19 Pandemic Context," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:24:p:13016-:d:699016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tan T. Nguyen & Nga T. Le & Minh H. Nguyen & Linh V. Pham & Binh N. Do & Hoang C. Nguyen & Huu C. Nguyen & Tung H. Ha & Hung K. Dao & Phuoc B. Nguyen & Manh V. Trinh & Thinh V. Do & Hung Q. Nguyen & T, 2020. "Health Literacy and Preventive Behaviors Modify the Association between Pre-Existing Health Conditions and Suspected COVID-19 Symptoms: A Multi-Institutional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-12, November.
    2. Lorna K.P. Suen & Tika Rana, 2020. "Knowledge Level and Hand Hygiene Practice of Nepalese Immigrants and Their Host Country Population: A Comparative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-17, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Frauke von Bieberstein & Anna-Corinna Kulle & Stefanie Schumacher, 2022. "Large gender and age differences in hand disinfection behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: Field data from Swiss retail stores," Papers 2210.09094, arXiv.org.
    2. Mahdi Salehi & Grzegorz Zimon & Ali Reza Ghaderi & Zinab Ahmed Hasan, 2022. "The Relationship between Prevention and Panic from COVID-19, Ethical Principles, Life Expectancy, Anxiety, Depression and Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-24, May.
    3. Sylvain Gnamien Traoré & Gilbert Fokou & Affou Seraphin Wognin & Kathrin Heitz-Tokpa & Sopi Mathilde Tetchi & Foungoye Allassane Ouattara & Malik Orou Seko & Chantal Akoua-Koffi & Issaka Tiembre & Bas, 2023. "Preventive Measures against Ebola and COVID-19 and Their Impact on Human Dirty-Hand Disease Mitigation in Côte d’Ivoire," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-14, April.

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