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Tirhas Tadesse,one Tariku Tesfaye,two Tadesse Alemu,3 Werissaw Haileselassie4
oneDepartment of Public Health, Yekatit Hospital School of Medicine12, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; twoDepartment of Public Health, Ethiopian Police College, Sendafa, Ethiopia; 3Department of Public Health, Universal College of Medicine and Business, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 4School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Correspondence: Tirhas Tadesse
Department of Public Health, Yekatit12 Hospital Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel +251912053189
Email [email protected]
Background: Face masks were considered an effective method to prevent respiratory infections such as coronavirus infection. Identifying the knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare workers regarding the use of masks is very important to identify gaps and intervene immediately to control the spread of infection. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of the health worker on the proper use of the mask and the associated factors in the police health colleges in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2020.
Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative approach study was conducted from June to July 2020. The study included 408 health professionals of all categories working in the different police health facilities located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the period of study. Data were collected using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire adopted from different studies after obtaining consent from study participants. Once the data were collected, they were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23 computer software. A logistic regression model was used to measure the association between the predictor and the outcome variables. Statistical significance was declared with a p value <0.05. The direction and strength of the association were expressed by OR and 95% CI.
Results: The study showed that the general knowledge, attitude and practice of the healthcare provider towards the proper use of the mask were 98 (33.5%), 185 (45.3%) and 272 (33.3%) respectively . The factors associated with the proper use of the mask were educational level (AOR = 10.4, 95% CI: 2.51, 43.32), police rank (AOR = 0.2. CI: 0, 05, 0.41), profession (AOR = 7.7, 95% CI: 2.63, 22.65) and knowledge about the use of masks (AOR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.003, 0.023).
Conclusion: In this study, the level of knowledge and attitude towards mask use was relatively low, and the level of proper mask use was quite low compared to some studies. Authorities should design and deliver comprehensive mask training that focuses on its proper use to healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.
Keywords: health workers, knowledge, attitude, practices, proper use of masks, police health facilities
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