Behaviors and Associated Factors of Hand Hygiene and Mask-Wearing among Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background and Aims: Even though more emphasis has been given to the preventive behavior that includes handwashing and wearing mask during this pandemic situation; not all the people are adhering to it. Therefore the study aimed to evaluate the hand hygiene and mask wearing behavior among the university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the students enrolled in all the branches of Saudi Electronic University that predominantly covers the representative samples of students across the nation. The participants were recruited by using a convenience sampling to participate in this study. A self-reported online questionnaire was used to collect the information and Chi-square test was performed to determine the association between the sociodemographic characteristics and the hand hygiene mask wearing behavior of students. Results: Six hundred and thirty five students from all the branches of Saudi Electronic University were participated in this study. Majority of the students were females and in the age group ranges between 20 to 25 years old. Most of the respondents in the study were living in a joint family and having children in their home. Majority of the students in the study were appropriately practicing the hand washing and mask wearing behavior. A positive correlation was established between the hand hygiene of students and gender, educational level and working sector. The study also highlighted that the mask wearing behavior is influenced by the working status and the working sector among the students. Conclusions: Although most of the students were wearing the mask properly and washing their hands appropriately; it varied based on the sociodemographic characteristics. Therefore, there is a need for continual guidance and training programs on hand hygiene and proper mask wearing behavior, regardless of any factors.

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