Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use among the university communities in Lebanon

Validity and reliability of Household Disinfectants-Cleaners Questionnaire (HDCQ) to investigate public awareness and performance in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

BACKGROUND

Although household disinfectant cleaners are used at home frequently, less research has focused on standardized assessment tools to measure public awareness and precautions in practice, especially during health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the important role of household disinfectants-cleaners in preventing infections. However, poor public awareness and unsafe practices can undermine their effectiveness. This study indirectly addresses this lack by developing and validating the Household Disinfectants-Cleaners Questionnaire (HDCQ), to make available an evidence-based comprehensive tool to support future assessments, public health research, and policy development.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the validity and reliability of a questionnaire designed to measure public awareness and performance regarding the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners in Abu Dhabi.

METHODS

A cross-sectional Google survey, involving a sample of 750 Abu Dhabi residents, was analyzed using IBM-SPSS (Version 27.0) and RStudio (Version 1.1.456, Inc., 2009-2018). Validity tests included face, content, and construct evaluations by nine academic experts based on seven parameters. Reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha and inter-item correlation. Principal Factor Analysis (PFA), including the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure and Bartlett's test, was conducted for each section in SPSS. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in RStudio identified the underlying factors explaining item covariation.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha values for the awareness and performance domains were 0.854 and 0.883, indicating high internal consistency. Expert ratings indicated high face validity, with importance levels ranging from 0.89 to 1.00. The average Content Validity Ratio (CVR) for the questionnaire was 0.95, indicating strong content relevance. The PFA results demonstrated adequate sampling adequacy, with a KMO measure values of 0.879 and 0.891 and Bartlett's test was statistically significant (χ2 = 2,368, P < 0.001) and (χ2 = 3,274, P < 0.001) for each section respectively, confirming factorability and suitability for factor analysis. Both EFA and CFA indicated a good model fit with RMSEA of 0.077 for Sect. 1 and 0.090 for Sect. 2, CFI of 0.990 for Sect. 1 and 0.975 for Sect. 2, and TLI of 0.986 for Sect. 1 and 0.967 for Sect. 2, confirming the robustness of the factor structure and the questionnaire's validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrate that this questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing public awareness and performance regarding the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners for future pandemics. Recognizing inherent limitations, detailed in the conclusion section, is essential for effective application in public health contexts.

Validity and reliability of chemical-based disinfectant use questionnaire in a sample of the Lebanese public community

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide, people heavily use chemical-based disinfectants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 with limited or no safety instructions. Awareness about the safe use of chemical-based disinfectants is highly recommended to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to avoid any health risks when misused, especially in developing countries where a poor healthcare system is prominent. Awareness in this context refers to the understanding and knowledge of proper usage, safety protocols and potential health risks associated with chemical disinfectants. Practices refer to the actual behaviours and actions taken when using disinfectants, including frequency of use, methods of application and adherence to safety guidelines.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this paper is to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess the community level of awareness and practice concerning chemical-based disinfectant use during COVID-19 in Lebanon.

DESIGN

The questionnaire was adapted and modified from a previous study held in Iran, in which the questions were generated and developed with content validity ratio and index (CVR and CVI). The study design was divided into the qualitative phase/development of the Disinfectants Use Questionnaire (DUQ) and the quantitative phase/psychometric properties of the DUQ. The questionnaire was subjected to face and content validity tests through expert reviews. Data validation, for 130 participants (80.8% females, 85.5% bachelor's degree and above, 80.8% students and 70.8% aged within 30 years), was examined through psychometric properties at the final stage of the validation. CVI for items (I-CVI), scale-level CVI (S-CVI), universal agreement calculation (S-CVI/UA), S-CVI and the average calculation method (S-CVI/Ave), based on I-CVI and based on proportion relevance, were calculated to determine the content validity.

RESULTS

23 items of the 28-item scale had an I-CVI of 1, and the I-CVI of the remaining five ranged between 0.75 and 0.88. The S-CVI/UA was 0.82 and the S-CVI/Ave was 0.96, which meant that the items were good for the underlying construct. For the psychometric measures, principal axis factoring was performed and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy, Bartlett's test, eigenvalues and total variances were quite accepted and satisfactory.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that DUQ is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the community level of awareness and practice concerning chemical-based disinfectant use during COVID-19.

Evaluation of awareness and performance towards COVID-related disinfectant use: a comparative study between Jordan and United Arab Emirates

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization recommended the use of chemical-based disinfectants as an effective prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, calls for poisoning were reported in several medical centers. The widespread use of chemical-based disinfectants as a preventive measure during the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored potential gaps in community awareness and performance, posing health risks. This study evaluates and compares levels of awareness and performance regarding the safe use of disinfectants in Jordan and UAE.

METHODS

The study was conducted between October 2022 and June 2023 via an online questionnaire. Data of respondents from Jordan (n = 828) and UAE (n = 619) were analyzed using SPSS. ANOVA, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests evaluated significant differences in awareness and performance levels across different demographic groups in Jordan/UAE and between them. Spearman's correlation test examined the correlation between awareness and performance among respondents. Multinomial logistic regression analysis explored associations between various variables and awareness/performance levels within each population.

RESULTS

Findings reveal weak awareness (72.4% and 9.03% in UAE and Jordan, respectively) and moderate performance level (98.8% in UAE and Jordan), with a weak correlation (UAE, rho = 0.093; Jordan, rho = 0.164) observed between the two countries (P < 0.05). Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicates gender-related associations with awareness levels and education-related associations with performance levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The study emphasizes the urgent need for awareness campaigns and workshops to promote safer disinfectant practices to develop effective interventions aligning with sustainable development goals.

Hand hygiene during the spread of COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of awareness and practices among academic institutions in Lebanon

Introduction

During the pandemic, the World Health Organization has recommended hand hygiene as one of the effective preventive measures to limit the global spread of COVID-19. However, the awareness gap of hand hygiene protocols could increase the spread of COVID-19 and consequently increase the absenteeism rate among academic institutions. This study aims to assess hand hygiene awareness and practices levels among various university communities in Lebanon.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2021 and June 2022 among 1,291 participants from academic settings in Lebanese universities. An online survey (score-based questionnaire) of hand hygiene was conducted to evaluate the awareness and practices among university communities (faculty, staff, and students). Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine whether significant differences exist in the levels of awareness with regard to gender, age, provinces, educational level, and university status. Pearson's chi-squared test was applied to assess differences among the sample characteristics and participants' practice of hand hygiene.

Results

It was found that most of the participants showed a moderate level of awareness (76.4%) with a mean score of 7.59 out of 12 (SD = 1.68). The Mann-Whitney test indicated that females recorded higher levels of awareness than males with a significant difference of 102, 104: p < 0.05. Another notable variable was the educational level of the participants with university degrees holders recording higher scores of awareness than the ones with high school degrees as per the Kruskal-Wallis test (p < 0.05). Significant differences were also shown in awareness scores among the age groups and the university status (p < 0.05). The Pearson's chi-squared test results showed that females used alcohol-based hand rubs or soap and water more frequently than males (p < 0.05). However, males significantly preferred the frequent use of water alone compared to females (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

The study findings highlighted the necessity of awareness campaigns and health educational programs addressing the technical skills of hand hygiene among both genders (especially males) of the academic communities in Lebanon.