Evaluation of public awareness and performance toward the safe use of household disinfectants-cleaners to prevent COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Abstract

IntroductionDisinfection is one of the most effective hygienic practices that would limit the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) through deactivating the coronavirus on contaminated skin, supplies, and surfaces. However, the type and concentration of disinfectants should be carefully selected to avoid damaging surfaces and to limit the side effects of these chemicals on household members and users. The aim of this study is to assess the public levels of awareness and performance concerning the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants during the spread of COVID-19 in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2021 among 750 residents of Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafrah, and Al-Ain regions. A google survey was distributed electronically for the online recruitment of the general population. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine whether significant differences exist in the levels of awareness and performance with regard to gender, region, education level, and diagnosis with COVID-19. Spearman correlation was used to test if any correlation existed between levels of awareness and performance. Kruskal-Wallis test was also used to check if significant differences exist in the mean score of performance with respect to irritation-to-poisoning symptoms.ResultsThe study population recorded a lower mean score of awareness (5.37 out of 12) than performance (11.75 out of 16). The majority of the study population claimed a minimum of one irritation-to-poisoning symptom during the handling of household cleaners and disinfectants. Significant differences exist in the awareness and performance mean scores among various educational levels (P < 0.001). The level of awareness was statistically significant with regard to infection with SARS-CoV-2 (P < 0.05). Also, the level of performance was significantly different between males and females (P < 0.001). Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the mean score of performance is statistically significant with all the studied irritation-to poisoning symptoms (P < 0.05).ConclusionsAwareness campaigns and training programs are recommended to address the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

“…Comparing the awareness scores among the sociodemographic variables, females, and highly educated participants (university levels) recorded higher scores of awareness than males and high school graduates. This is in congruence with the studies investigating the public awareness toward the preventive measures of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia (36), and the public awareness toward the use of household cleaners-disinfectants during the spread of pandemic (35). The finding may be explained by the fact that women are primarily responsible for taking care of their homes and maintaining high levels of hygiene at the personal and household levels (37).…”

“…Concerningly, many participants were unaware that the high-risk practices (e.g., sanitizing bare hands with bleach or other household cleaners or by using ultra-violet lamps) can damage skin tissues (33). Anticipating such high-risk practices to prevent COVID-19 was observed in a population-based studies in the UAE and USA (34,35). Similarly, literature studies focusing on university students showed awareness gap of the optimum temperature of water for effective handwashing and the necessary duration for hand disinfection (6,14).…”

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

“…Focusing on the geographical location of Lebanon in Middle East (belonging to the Arabic culture), the community was expected to show similar levels of awareness and performance towards the hygiene-based preventive measures of COVID-19 compared to the studies of four Arabic speaking Middle Eastern countries (Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) where participants embraced misconceptions about COVID-19, resulting in ineffective protective measures against SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 37 , 38 ]. However, in these studies, most of the study population showed a higher level of performance than awareness.…”

Improving Health Literacy of Domestic Household Disinfection Use: Readability of Consumer-Facing Information on Domestic Household Disinfectant Products on Sale in the UK—An Infodemiology Study

“…One recent study from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates assessed public levels of awareness and performance concerning the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants during COVID-19. The results showed that the majority of survey respondents reported at least one adverse event associated with the use of disinfectants, ranging from skin irritation to poisoning, and significant differences in awareness and performance mean scores among various educational levels (p < 0.001) as well as the level of performance between males and females (p < 0.001) [4]. Additionally, studies from Italy and China showed toxicological events due to the mishandling of disinfectants [5,6].…”

“…Therefore, the correct and appropriate application of household disinfectants for the optimal removal of pathogens within the home requires a reasonable understanding of how to correctly employ the disinfectant of the user within the home. Several reports have been published describing the role of household disinfectants during the pandemic [3,4]. One recent study from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates assessed public levels of awareness and performance concerning the safe use of household cleaning products and disinfectants during COVID-19.…”