Compliance to personal hygiene habits in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the Jordanians' compliance rates in terms of personal hygiene habits in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized to collect data from 651 Jordanians via an electronic self-report questionnaire. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software Results: The overall compliance rate for personal hygiene habits among Jordanians was 79 percent (11.85/15, SD = 9). Personal hygiene practices differ significantly across age groups (F = 2, 89, p = .04), gender (t = 5.18, p = .003), marital status (F = 3.09, p = .029), and being a member of a healthcare specialty (t = -2.20, p = .028). Gender, educational level, occupation, and living place were statistically significant predictors for compliance with personal hygiene habits. Compliance rates increased drastically (82 percent) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion: Compliance with personal hygiene habits among Jordanians was encouraging in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, there is a chance for more improvement to reach optimum levels of safe and healthy per-sonal hygiene habits. Healthcare authorities shall adopt change management programs and theories to target personal hygiene habits where opportunities for improvement are found.