{"title":"Hand Sanitizer Use During the Pandemic: Frequency and Health Effects Among Healthcare and Non-Healthcare Professionals.","authors":"Burak Kurt, Hazal Ozdemir Koyu","doi":"10.1177/21650799251392217","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hand sanitizer use increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet knowledge about its safe use and potential health impacts remains limited, particularly across different occupational groups. There is a need to better understand the frequency and health effects of hand sanitizer use, especially when comparing healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study included 305 adults from a central district of Türkiye, with 48.5% being healthcare professionals. Data were collected on participants' knowledge of sanitizer contents, frequency of use, and any health problems experienced. Regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with sanitizer-related health problems.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Only 28.4% of healthcare professionals and 12.1% of non-healthcare professionals reported full knowledge of the contents of the sanitizers they used. Daily use of hand sanitizer 10 or more times was reported by 53.4% of healthcare professionals and 33.8% of non-healthcare professionals. Regression analysis indicated that female gender and being a healthcare professional were significantly associated with sanitizer-related health problems (<i>p</i> < .01). Despite frequent use, both groups demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding safe sanitizer use, which may contribute to increased health risks such as skin irritation or allergic reactions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings highlight the importance of implementing targeted, evidence-based educational interventions and developing clear guidelines on the safe use of hand sanitizers for both healthcare and non-healthcare professionals. Future studies should focus on the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing healthcare-associated infections and improving hygiene practices.</p><p><strong>Application to practice: </strong>Occupational health and public health professionals can use these results to design workplace and community-based training programs, promote safer hygiene practices, and minimize sanitizer-related health risks across diverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48968,"journal":{"name":"Workplace Health & Safety","volume":" ","pages":"218-227"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13044265/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Workplace Health & Safety","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799251392217","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/12/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Hand sanitizer use increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet knowledge about its safe use and potential health impacts remains limited, particularly across different occupational groups. There is a need to better understand the frequency and health effects of hand sanitizer use, especially when comparing healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 305 adults from a central district of Türkiye, with 48.5% being healthcare professionals. Data were collected on participants' knowledge of sanitizer contents, frequency of use, and any health problems experienced. Regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with sanitizer-related health problems.
Results: Only 28.4% of healthcare professionals and 12.1% of non-healthcare professionals reported full knowledge of the contents of the sanitizers they used. Daily use of hand sanitizer 10 or more times was reported by 53.4% of healthcare professionals and 33.8% of non-healthcare professionals. Regression analysis indicated that female gender and being a healthcare professional were significantly associated with sanitizer-related health problems (p < .01). Despite frequent use, both groups demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding safe sanitizer use, which may contribute to increased health risks such as skin irritation or allergic reactions.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of implementing targeted, evidence-based educational interventions and developing clear guidelines on the safe use of hand sanitizers for both healthcare and non-healthcare professionals. Future studies should focus on the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing healthcare-associated infections and improving hygiene practices.
Application to practice: Occupational health and public health professionals can use these results to design workplace and community-based training programs, promote safer hygiene practices, and minimize sanitizer-related health risks across diverse populations.
期刊介绍：
Workplace Health & Safety: Promoting Environments Conducive to Well-Being and Productivity is the official publication of the American Association of Occupational Health Nursing, Inc. (AAOHN). It is a scientific peer-reviewed Journal. Its purpose is to support and promote the practice of occupational and environmental health nurses by providing leading edge research findings and evidence-based clinical practices. It publishes articles that span the range of issues facing occupational and environmental health professionals, including emergency and all-hazard preparedness, health promotion, safety, productivity, environmental health, case management, workers'' compensation, business and leadership, compliance and information management.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
