Exploring Hand Hygiene Practices for Preventing Influenza Infections among Batswana University Students during the Peak Pandemic Period
Abstract:
During
influenza pandemics, university settings with huge number of students who are
highly active and mobile can become serious outbreak centres. As outbreak
management is crucial for disease control, the current research aimed to
explore hand hygiene practices to prevent influenza infections among Batswana
university students during the peak of the pandemic. A quantitative,
cross-sectional study was performed by collecting data from 200 Batswana
university students during peak influenza season. Data was analysed using
descriptive statistics. The findings showed significant insights on hand
hygiene knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and practices of Batswana university
students towards preventing influenza infection. The study demonstrates that
Batswana university students hold strong positive attitudes, mixed levels of
knowledge and compliant behaviours regarding hand hygiene for influenza
prevention. The narrowing knowledge–practice gap and resourceful use of soap,
water, sanitisers and wipes indicated effective internalisation of technical
guidance while low adherence to the 20-second handwashing rule underscored the
need for health educational campaigns. Findings also indicated that relying on
self-reports, lower confidence in biomedical interventions and persistent
structural barriers (costs, facilities, forgetfulness) signals ongoing
vulnerabilities. Future research should incorporate objective behavioural or
clinical measures, qualitative exploration of vaccine and mask hesitancy, and
intervention trials that integrate behavioural practices with improved
infrastructural support to ensure effective prevention of influenza.
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