Can face-and smartphone-touching behaviors be altered with personal hygiene reminders during the COVID-19 pandemic period? An observational study

Abstract

As part of the new measures to prevent the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), medical students were advised to wear a mask in class and avoid touching their faces. Few studies have analyzed the influence of health education on the frequency of face-and smartphone-touching behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research compared the frequency of in-class face-and smartphone-touching behaviors of medical students before and after the delivery of personal hygiene education during the COVID-19 pandemic. A behavioral observational study was conducted involving medical students at Taipei Medical University. Eighty medical students were recruited during a lecture on otorhinolaryngology. All medical students were required to wear a mask. Their face-and smartphone-touching behavior was observed by viewing the 4k resolution video tape recorded in class. The recording lasted for 2 h, comprising 1 h prior to the health educational reminder and 1 h afterwards. The frequencies of hand-to-face contact and hand-to-smartphone contact were analyzed before and after the delivery of health education em-phasizing personal hygiene. Comprehensive health education and reminders effectively reduce the rate of face-and smartphone-touching behaviors.