Can Face- and Smartphone-Touching Behaviors Be Altered with Personal Hygiene Reminders during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period? An Observational Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Cheng-Yu Tsai¹  Lok-Yee Joyce Li²  Jinn-Moon Yang³  Chih-Jou Chen⁴  Shin-Yi Wang⁵  Cheng-Jung Wu⁶  Lucas Yee-Yan Wu⁶ 

[1] Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BT, UK;Department of Medicine, Shin Kong Wu-Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei 111, Taiwan;Institute of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan;Master Program in School of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 111, Taiwan;National Taiwan University Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan;School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan;

关键词: mask;    smartphone touching;    face touching;    COVID-19;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph181910038

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

As part of the new measures to prevent the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), medical students were advised to wear a mask in class and avoid touching their faces. Few studies have analyzed the influence of health education on the frequency of face- and smartphone-touching behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research compared the frequency of in-class face- and smartphone-touching behaviors of medical students before and after the delivery of personal hygiene education during the COVID-19 pandemic. A behavioral observational study was conducted involving medical students at Taipei Medical University. Eighty medical students were recruited during a lecture on otorhinolaryngology. All medical students were required to wear a mask. Their face- and smartphone-touching behavior was observed by viewing the 4 k resolution video tape recorded in class. The recording lasted for 2 h, comprising 1 h prior to the health educational reminder and 1 h afterwards. The frequencies of hand-to-face contact and hand-to-smartphone contact were analyzed before and after the delivery of health education emphasizing personal hygiene. Comprehensive health education and reminders effectively reduce the rate of face- and smartphone-touching behaviors.

【 授权许可】

Unknown