Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing (한국보건간호학회지)

Korean Society of public Health Nursing (한국보건간호학회)
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Perception of COVID-19, and Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hand washing in Elementary School Students

초등학생의 코로나19에 대한 인식과 손 씻기 지식, 태도 및 실천

  • Lee, Young-Hee (College of Nursing, Ajou University) ;
  • You, Mi-Ae (College of Nursing, Institute of Nursing Research, Ajou University)
  • 이영희 (아주대학교 간호대학) ;
  • 유미애 (아주대학교 간호대학.간호과학연구소)
  • Received : 2021.10.13
  • Accepted : 2022.04.08
  • Published : 2022.04.30
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Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate factors affecting handwashing practice among elementary school students by assessing the perception of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and characteristics related to knowledge, attitude, and practice of handwashing. Methods: The cross-sectional study design and an online self-reported survey were used in this study. The subjects were 211 elementary students at a school located in G province, Korea. Data were collected from January 4 to 8, 2021. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Results: Mean scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice of handwashing were 17.09 (out of 20), 21.15 (out of 24), and 27.51 (out of 33), respectively. There were significant positive correlations between the perception of COVID-19 and knowledge of handwashing (r=.23, p=.001), between knowledge and attitude toward handwashing (r=.45, p<.001), between knowledge and practice of handwashing (r=.18, p=.010), and between attitude and practice of handwashing (r=.28, p<.001). The factors influencing handwashing practice were handwashing frequency at home (β=.39, p<.001), handwashing frequency at school (β=.18, p=.006), and attitude toward handwashing (β=.15, p=.026), which explained 34.2% of the variance. Conclusion: These results suggest a need to raise awareness of the importance of handwashing and develop an education program for infectious disease prevention.

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References

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