Hand hygiene during COVID-19 (Zambia)

The purpose of this study was to to determine factors that affect hand hygiene behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic among traders at Soweto Market in Lusaka District. It was designed to determine the influence of hand hygiene information on hand hygiene behavior, determine the influence of social cultural factors on hand hygiene and to investigate effects of the physical environment on hand hygiene behavior among traders at Soweto Market in Lusaka District. The study employed a cross section analytical design targeting 120 respondents. This study has revealed that hand hygiene compliance was significantly associated with acquisition of hand hygiene knowledge (X (6, N = 120) = 41.49, p = .000) and majority of respondents (98.1%) had acquired knowledge on hand hygiene. The study has also revealed that respondents who complied with hand hygiene are those who reported that cultural customs were not in conflict with prevention of COVID-19. Compliance with hand hygiene practices was significantly associated with cultural customs, X (6, N = 120) = 62.09, p = .000. Further, hand hygiene compliance was significantly associated with availability of hand hygiene services or facilities within the market, X (6, N = 120) = 13.30, p = .038. However, majority of the respondents (61.7%) reported that they did not benefit from any hand hygiene services or facilities from the Local Authority or Ministry of Health. The following recommendations were made: The Local Authority and Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities in Zambia to consider supporting traders with hand hygiene related services during the pandemic period. Furthermore, Ministry of Health to ensure sustainability in the dissemination of hand hygiene information, through health education, hand hygiene brochures and posters.