Compliance with WHO Recommended Preventive Measures against COVID-19 among a Nigerian Population Attending a Teaching Hospital

Background: The fright and devastation that accompanied COVID-19 pandemic these past two years cannot be totally quantified. More so, the cycle of fear, panic, uncertainty and attempts at curtailment repeats itself every time the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutates and produces a new variant. The World Health Organization recommended personal protective measures are very important in slowing down the spread of infection. This study assessed the compliance of a Nigerian population with protective measures recommended by WHO in curbing the spread of COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey among patients attending medical outpatient in a Teaching Hospital. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data on participants demographics and compliance with WHO recommended preventive measures towards prevention of COVID-19 infection. Data analysis was carried out with Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25(IBM Corp., Armonk, USA).  The results were presented as frequency tables and cross-tabulations. Chi-square test was carried out with consideration for statistical significance at P<0.05.   Results: One hundred and ninety-six consecutive participants who gave consent were recruited for the study. There was a male predominance. Participants’ age ranged between 18 and 84 years with mean age of 34.92±14.10 years. Median age was 30 years. Half of participants had university education and about one tenth are professionals. About two-fifth earned less than 100 dollars monthly. Though about three-fifth of participants have heard of WHO recommended hand washing techniques for COVID-19 prevention, only two-fifth practice it. One third of participants regularly use face mask in the public and 85.2% do not practice physical distancing. Less than 10 % do not use soap and water or sanitizer to clean their hands. . The participants’ attitudinal change to handwashing as a preventive measure for COVID-19 prevention was good. Participants’ most practiced personal preventive measures against COVID-19 were regular washing of hands and boosting immunity with vitamins. The association between participants’ demographics and WHO recommendation for hand washing in the prevention of COVID-19 showed a significant based on sex (p= 0.04). Females paid attention to washing of hands than males. The association between participants’ demographics and use of face masks in the prevention of COVID-19 showed that education was significant in determining use (P=0.04) Conclusion: Awareness of personal preventive measures to COVID-19 washing of hands was increased among participants but there is the need to emphasize the wearing of face masks and physical distancing.