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

ABSTRACT: 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.

SUBMITTER: Thaivalappil A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9575434 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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

Thaivalappil Abhinand A Young Ian I Pearl David L DL McWhirter Jennifer E JE Papadopoulos Andrew A

Environmental health insights 20221015

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 ...[more]

PMID: 36262200

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Project description:BackgroundHealthcare worker's hands are route for cross-transmission of potentially harmful germs between patients in a healthcare facility. As hand washing is an established cost-effective measure for infection control, hand hygiene knowledge and compliance with the recommended steps are essential to control healthcare-associated infections (HCAI). We assessed the knowledge and practice of hand hygiene among nurses at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out from 14th September to 24th December 2023 on all consenting nurses in UNTH. A modified World Health Organization (WHO) knowledge questionnaire structured to collect demographics and assess hand hygiene knowledge expressed as good(> 75%), moderately good(50-74%) and poor(< 50%) knowledge. Duration to completion of hand washing was timed while Glo germ gel with ultraviolet lamp were used to assess effectiveness of hand washing. Ineffective hand washing was graded as fair, poor, or very poor. The WHO checklist was used to assess steps in hand washing technique performed.ResultA total of 395 nurses participated in the study (mean age and standard deviation, 41.40 ± 8.82 years). Most were females (93.2%), married (80.8%), and functioned in the surgery department (38.5%). Moderately good knowledge of hand hygiene was demonstrated by 58.2% while effective hand washing occurred in 29.2% of them. Steps of hand washing technique most frequently missed were the use of towel to turn off faucet (94.3%), rubbing backs of fingers to opposing palms with fingers interlocked (89.8%), and wetting hands with water before applying soap(55.9%). Zones of hands not adequately washed were mainly the fingernails and perimeter of fingernails (38.4%), the palm (28.6%), and the dorsum of hand (22.9%). There was no significant difference in hand hygiene knowledge and effective hand washing across the different age groups, sex, nursing cadre, educational qualifications, and departments.ConclusionNurses at the UNTH had fair hand hygiene knowledge with the majority demonstrating ineffective hand washing; a finding suggesting sub-optimal infection prevention and control. Periodic hand hygiene training targeting nurses and other health personnel engaged in patient care while emphasizing frequently missed areas is paramount to improving hand hygiene knowledge and effectiveness.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.

Project description:Objective: Hand washing and sleep hygiene are two important health behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to identify the motivational and volitional antecedents of college students' hand washing and sleep hygiene behaviors based on an integrated model of behavior that combined social-cognition constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Health Action Process Approach (HAPA). Methods: Using a prospective design, college students (N = 1106) completed a survey assessing the motivational constructs of action self-efficacy, attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and behaviors of hand washing and sleep hygiene at Time 1. Demographic variables were also collected. One month later, at Time 2, college students (N = 524) self-reported on their volitional factors of maintenance self-efficacy, action planning, coping planning, and behaviors of hand washing and sleep hygiene. A further 2 months later, at Time 3, college students (N = 297) were asked to self-report on their hand washing and sleep hygiene behaviors over the past month. Findings: Data were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modelling. Results showed significant direct effects of attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on intentions; significant direct effects of action self-efficacy on maintenance self-efficacy; and significant direct effects of maintenance self-efficacy on action planning and coping planning. Significant direct effects of intention on action planning (sleep hygiene only), and significant direct effects of intention, maintenance self-efficacy (hand washing only), action and coping planning on behavior were also observed. Action planning also moderated the intention-behavior relationship, but only for hand washing. There were also significant total indirect effects of action self-efficacy on behavior mediated by maintenance self-efficacy, action planning, and coping planning for both behaviors, and significant total indirect effects of subjective norm and perceived behavioral control on behavior mediated by intention for sleep hygiene. When past behavior was included in the integrated model predicting all the psychological variables and behavior, all of the structural relations were attenuated. Discussion: Current findings indicate that college students' hand washing and sleep hygiene behaviors are a function of both motivational and volitional factors. Findings also indicate that the TPB and HAPA pathways might differ for the two health behaviors. Implications of the current findings for future health interventions aimed at improving college students' hand washing and sleep hygiene are discussed.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:Compliance to hygiene behaviours has long been recognised as important in the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections, but medical doctors still display some of the lowest rates of compliance of all healthcare workers. We aim to understand compliance to hygiene behaviours by analysing medical students', junior doctors' and medical educators' narratives of these behaviours to identify their respective attitudes and beliefs around compliance and how these are learnt during training. Such an understanding can inform future interventions to improve compliance targeted to areas of greatest need. DESIGN:A qualitative study, using narrative interviews (nine focus groups and one individual interview). Data were analysed thematically using inductive framework analysis. SETTING:Teaching hospitals in the UK. PARTICIPANTS:Convenience sample of 25 participants: third-year medical students in their first clinical year (n=13), junior doctors (n=6) and medical educators (n=6). RESULTS:We identified four main themes: (1) knowledge, (2) constraints, (3) role models/culture and (4) hygiene as an added extra. Knowledge varied across participant groups and appeared to influence behaviours; medical students relied on what they have been told by seniors, while medical educators relied on their own knowledge and experience. There was a strong belief that evidence for the effectiveness of good hygiene behaviours is lacking. Furthermore, medical educators' behaviour appears to strongly influence others. Finally, hygiene was predominately viewed as an added extra rather than an integral part of the process. CONCLUSIONS:Awareness of the evidence around good hygiene needs to be improved at all levels. Medical students and junior doctors should be encouraged to consider why they are asked to perform certain hygiene behaviours in order to improve ownership of those behaviours. Medical educators need to recognise their responsibilities as role models for their junior counterparts, thereby understanding their role in developing the culture of hygiene practices within their clinical domains.

Project description:IntroductionHealthcare-acquired infections are infections that patients acquire while receiving treatment for a medical or surgical condition and can occur in all care facilities. Hospital-acquired infections and the spread of antimicrobial resistance can be reduced by implementing proper preventive measures, including hand hygiene.AimThis study aimed to assess nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward hand hygiene guidelines in Najran city, determine compliance levels, identify factors contributing to non-compliance, and provide recommendations for interventions to improve hand hygiene practices and reduce healthcare-associated infections risk.Subject and methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working in the selected government hospitals in Najran City, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted nurses using an online survey. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and marital status. The questionnaire had 25 items to measure knowledge, 10 to measure attitude, 6 to measure practices, and 4 to measure the impact of COVID-19 on hand hygiene practices.ResultsAmong the 386 nurses recruited, 88.3% were females, and 25.6% were aged between 31 to 35 years old. Overall, good knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice levels were found in 42.5, 48.4, and 94%, respectively. The common factor influencing hand hygiene practice was the prevention of cross-infection (88.1%). The total knowledge score mean was 18 ± 3.4 (highest possible score: 25). The total attitude score mean was 37.5 ± 6.1 (highest possible score: 50). The total practice score mean was 26.9 ± 2.8 (highest possible score: 30). A higher score indicates higher KAP of hand hygiene. Factors associated with increased KAP were being older in age (Z = 6.446; p < 0.001), gender female (Z = 9.869; p < 0.001), being a Filipino nurse (H = 117.8; p < 0.001), working in a surgery department (H = 28.37; p < 0.001), having more than 10 years of experience (Z = 6.903; p < 0.001), living in shared accommodation (H = 87.22; p < 0.001), having associated chronic disease (Z = 4.495; p < 0.001), and receiving formal training in hand hygiene (Z = 2.381; p = 0.017). There was a positive highly statistically significant correlation between knowledge score and attitude score (r = 0.556), between knowledge score and practices score (r = 0.303), and between attitude score and practices score (r = 0.481).ConclusionIn light of the results, we can say that the nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice in regards to hand hygiene were deemed acceptable. We noticed that female nurses who were older and had more experience, as well as those who had received formal hand hygiene training, displayed better KAP compared to their counterparts. Moreover, we found a significant and positive correlation between the scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice. Nonetheless, additional research is necessary to establish the extent of KAP concerning hand hygiene.

Dataset Information

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

Publications

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

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