Community Awareness and Performance regarding the Safe Use of Disinfectants and Household Cleaners during the Spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon
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Date
2023-12
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Horizon Research Publishing
Abstract
To reduce the spread and transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the application of disinfectants and household cleaning products became a common practice worldwide during the pandemic. However, the literature revealed that these practices were associated with limited knowledge of chemical safety and resulted in several health hazards. This pilot study aims to assess the awareness and the performance of the Lebanese community regarding the safe use of household disinfectants and cleaners during the COVID-19 spread. This cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the extent, to which the public community in Lebanon safely handles disinfectants and household cleaning products. An Awareness-Performance questionnaire was adapted from the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and Arabic-translated [1]. 922 respondents (aged ≥ 18 years old) participated electronically, and their data was analyzed using SPSS descriptive analysis and the Chi-Square test for significant differences (p < 0.05) among the studied variables. The study population showed lower percentages of awareness than performance regarding the safe usage of disinfectants and household cleaners. The highest percentages with significant differences (p < 0.05) were detected among females, university graduates, younger people, and participants who had not been previously diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. Consequently, the study recommends additional investigations and awareness initiatives to be implemented in Lebanon. © The Author(s) 2023.
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Keywords
Awareness, COVID-19, Disinfectants, Household Cleaners, Lebanon, Performance
Citation
Ghach, W., Ibrahim, S. A., Merhi, A., Buhamdan, V., Ghannam, N. B., & Salhab, R. (2023). Community awareness and performance regarding the safe use of disinfectants and household cleaners during the spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon. Universal Journal of Public Health, 11(6), 877-887. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujph.2023.110612.