TITLE:
Personal Hygiene Concept, Knowledge, and Awareness Regarding COVID-19 among Bangladeshi People
AUTHORS:
N. M. Mahmudul Alam Bhuiya, Sazzad Ahmed, Md. Nazmul Hasan, Md. Tanveer Ahsan, Oli Ahmed
KEYWORDS:
Personal Hygiene Concept, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Coronavirus Awareness, Bangladesh
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.9 No.8,
August
16,
2021
ABSTRACT: Aim: Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as an unknown fallacy that forced into a global pandemic. Only a few vaccines are available for a limited number of people, and most of the population are not vaccinated yet. So, social distancing, proper personal hygiene, and sanitization concepts are the main factors to prevent the spread of this disease. For a densely populated country like Bangladesh, the concepts of social distancing are unpopular, and people are reluctant to follow community health guidelines. This study aimed to understand the personal hygiene concept, knowledge, and awareness of Bangladeshi people against COVID-19. Subject and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2020 through an online Google survey. Those who answered all the questions were finally included for result calculation (n = 182). The chi-square test was applied to evaluate the correlations among the groups based on education, income level, and occupation. Results: The results showed that education level and occupational status play a vital role in awareness about the general symptoms of COVID-19. Students have a lower rate of washing hands for 20 sec than people of other occupations (p = 0.037). The rate of using masks while going outside is not common in the low-income group (p = 0.010). A significant variation was also observed in wearing a mask when income level, education, and occupation were considered to compare among the groups. There was a noteworthy distinction in handwashing frequency and duration of handwashing in different occupation groups of the participants (p = 0.044 and 0.008, respectively). On the other hand, graduates were found comparatively more concerned about maintaining home quarantine and isolation firmly than others. They know the differences and significance of these two interventions properly. Conclusion: More comprehensive education programs could be helpful to enhance the concept of personal hygiene, knowledge, and awareness level of the people for a country like Bangladesh.