Perceptions about nonpharmacological interventions in the prevention of COVID-19 in the field practice area of jawaharlal nehru medical college

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic is a major global public health threat. Coronavirus includes a large group of viruses, which infects both humans and animals. China reported the outbreak on December 31, 2019, to World Health Organization. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, has published nonpharmacological interventions such as social distancing, zonal lockdown, rolling lockdown, wearing masks, and washing hands to combat the spread of COVID-19. The present study was conducted to assess the perceptions of people about nonpharmacological interventions in the prevention of COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A facility-based study was conducted among 220 participants from December 01, 2020, to February 28, 2021, among outpatients in the field practice area of urban primary health care Rukmini Nagar, under the administrative control of J. N. Medical College in Belagavi district, Karnataka. Results: A total of 220 participants were interviewed and analyzed for the study. Out of which, 36 (16.4%) were male and 184 (83.6%) were female. One hundred and seventy (77.2%) of the participants practiced good hand hygiene and personal hygiene. One hundred and forty-five (65.9%) of the participants always wore a face mask, when they were going outside. One hundred and eighty-one (82.2%) of the participants started drinking more fluids in the form of water compared with normal days. Conclusion: There was a lack of awareness about face protection and the use of hand sanitizer among the common public. Grassroots level health-care workers such as Accredited Social Health Activist, Anganwadi workers, and community volunteers should be trained for giving health education about nonpharmacological interventions to the public for COVID-19 prevention.