Table 1.
Levels of handwashing to prevent and control COVID-19 in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
| First author, year | Country | Participants | Age mean(SD) | Sample size (male) | Study design | Dates of data collection | Outcome | Outcome definition | Main findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mghamba, 2022 (25) | Tanzania | Adults from five municipalities, namely Ilala, Ubungo, Kinondoni, Temeke and Kigamboni. | 34.8(11.2) years | 390 (194) | Cross-sectional study | April and May 2020 | Levels of hand washing (1y) | The proportion of respondents practicing handwashing to prevent COVID-19 | 80.4% (n = 312) of the respondents reported that they implemented effective handwashing with water and soap or used alcohol-based gels/sanitizers. |
| Mboowa, 2021 (26) | Uganda | High-risk groups, namely food-market vendors, police officers and healthcare workers. | 35.1(11.0) years | 644 (340) | Cross-sectional study | July 2020 | Handwashing (2y) | The proportion of participants practicing handwashing | 81.4% of the participants practiced handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 s. |
| Okedi, 2022 (27) |
Kenya | Medical officers, nursing officers, public health officers, registered clinical officers, laboratory technologists, pharmaceutical technologists, nurse attendants and subordinate staff of health facilities | NA | 33 health facilities | Cross-sectional study | NA | Hand hygiene practices (1y) | Compliance with hand hygiene guidelines | Only 2 (28.6%.) of facilities enforced obligatory use of hand hygiene and there was no policy on hand hygiene in 6 (86%) health facilities. |
| Mwai, 2022 (28) | Kenya | Men and women who were household heads (18–60 years of age) and residing in Kilifi and Mombasa counties. | 38.2(14.8) years | 612 (181) | Cross-sectional survey | 25 November and 3 December 2020 | Hand hygiene practices (1y) | Practices of washing hands to control COVID-19 | 594 (97%) households indicated that they practice hand washing although 396 (64.7%) reported challenges in accessing soap. |
COVID-19, coronavirus disease 19; CI, confidence interval; SD, standard deviation; NA, Not available; 1y, primary outcome; 2y, secondary outcome.
The levels of handwashing have been presented as proportions of participants and health facilities that implemented handwashing practices as reported by the individual studies.