Dataset Information

Deployment of a Smart Handwashing Station in a School Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Field Study.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to remove germs, prevent the spread of infectious pathogens, and avoid getting sick. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, health authorities have been advocating good hand hygiene practices. OBJECTIVE:The primary aim of this study is to field test a prototype smart handwashing station deployed in a school setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS:We deployed a smart handwashing station and examined key technological considerations including connectivity, security, and data management systems, as well as the health and safety of users. RESULTS:The smart handwashing station was deployed for 10 days in a school setting in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The smart handwashing station's electrical components remained operational during field testing and underwent robust cleaning protocols each day. The handwashing station was used 1138 times during the field test and there was no COVID-19 transmission at the school during the testing. CONCLUSIONS:This study demonstrates that a personalized feedback approach using technology can successfully be implemented at a school and can provide a platform to improve hand hygiene among school-aged children.

SUBMITTER: Herbert J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7575344 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Deployment of a Smart Handwashing Station in a School Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Field Study.

Herbert Jeremy J Horsham Caitlin C Ford Helen H Wall Alexander A Hacker Elke E

JMIR public health and surveillance 20201019 4

<h4>Background</h4>Hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to remove germs, prevent the spread of infectious pathogens, and avoid getting sick. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, health authorities have been advocating good hand hygiene practices.<h4>Objective</h4>The primary aim of this study is to field test a prototype smart handwashing station deployed in a school setting during the COVID-19 pandemic.<h4>Methods</h4>We deployed a smart handwashing station and examined key technologica ...[more]

PMID: 33006559

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Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's engagement in health behaviors, especially those that protect individuals from SARS-CoV-2 transmission, such as handwashing/sanitizing. This study investigated whether adherence to the World Health Organization's (WHO) handwashing guidelines (the outcome variable) was associated with the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, as measured by the following 6 indicators: (i) the number of new cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality (a country-level mean calculated for the 14 days prior to data collection), (ii) total cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality accumulated since the onset of the pandemic, and (iii) changes in recent cases of COVID-19 morbidity/mortality (a difference between country-level COVID-19 morbidity/mortality in the previous 14 days compared to cases recorded 14-28 days earlier).MethodsThe observational study (#NCT04367337) enrolled 6064 adults residing in Australia, Canada, China, France, Gambia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Switzerland. Data on handwashing adherence across 8 situations (indicated in the WHO guidelines) were collected via an online survey (March-July 2020). Individual-level handwashing data were matched with the date- and country-specific values of the 6 indices of the trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic, obtained from the WHO daily reports.ResultsMultilevel regression models indicated a negative association between both accumulation of the total cases of COVID-19 morbidity (B = -.041, SE = .013, p = .013) and mortality (B = -.036, SE = .014 p = .002) and handwashing. Higher levels of total COVID-related morbidity and mortality were related to lower handwashing adherence. However, increases in recent cases of COVID-19 morbidity (B = .014, SE = .007, p = .035) and mortality (B = .022, SE = .009, p = .015) were associated with higher levels of handwashing adherence. Analyses controlled for participants' COVID-19-related situation (their exposure to information about handwashing, being a healthcare professional), sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status), and country-level variables (strictness of containment and health policies, human development index). The models explained 14-20% of the variance in handwashing adherence.ConclusionsTo better explain levels of protective behaviors such as handwashing, future research should account for indicators of the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic.Trial registrationClinical Trials.Gov, # NCT04367337.

Project description:RationaleThe associations between the number of COVID-19 cases/deaths and subsequent uptake of protective behaviors may reflect cognitive and behavioral responses to threat-relevant information.ObjectiveApplying protection motivation theory (PMT), this study explored whether the number of total COVID-19 cases/deaths and general anxiety were associated with cross-situational handwashing adherence and whether these associations were mediated by PMT-specific self-regulatory cognitions (threat appraisal: perceived vulnerability, perceived illness severity; coping appraisal: self-efficacy, response efficacy, response costs).MethodThe study (#NCT04367337) was conducted in March-September 2020 among 1256 adults residing in 14 countries. Self-reports on baseline general anxiety levels, handwashing adherence across 12 situations, and PMT-related constructs were collected using an online survey at two points in time, four weeks apart. Values of COVID-19 cases and deaths were retrieved twice for each country (one week prior to the individual data collection).ResultsAcross countries and time, levels of adherence to handwashing guidelines were high. Path analysis indicated that smaller numbers of COVID-19 cases/deaths (Time 0; T0) were related to stronger self-efficacy (T1), which in turn was associated with higher handwashing adherence (T3). Lower general anxiety (T1) was related to better adherence (T3), with this effect mediated by higher response efficacy (T1, T3) and lower response cost (T3). However, higher general anxiety (T1) was related to better adherence via higher illness severity (T1, T3). General anxiety was unrelated to COVID-19 indicators.ConclusionsWe found a complex pattern of associations between the numbers of COVID-19 cases/deaths, general anxiety, PMT variables, and handwashing adherence at the early stages of the pandemic. Higher general anxiety may enable threat appraisal (perceived illness severity), but it may hinder coping appraisal (response efficacy and response costs). The indicators of the trajectory of the pandemic (i.e., the smaller number of COVID-19 cases) may be indirectly associated with higher handwashing adherence via stronger self-efficacy.

Dataset Information

Deployment of a Smart Handwashing Station in a School Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Field Study.

Publications

Deployment of a Smart Handwashing Station in a School Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Field Study.

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