# Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Practices Among Visitors to the Holy Masjid (Masjid Al-Haram) During the Month of Ramadan in 2023

## TL;DR

This study assesses hand hygiene knowledge and practices among visitors to the Holy Masjid during Ramadan 2023, finding generally good awareness but gaps in understanding specific practices.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into hand hygiene knowledge and behavior among a large, diverse group of visitors to a major religious site during a high-traffic period.

## Key findings

- Most participants had good knowledge of hand hygiene but did not always practice it, such as cleaning hands after handshakes.
- A significant portion of participants misunderstood that hand hygiene does not impact immunity or HIV/AIDS transmission.
- Better knowledge was associated with improved hand hygiene practices, like cleaning hands before meals.

## Abstract

Introduction

Visits to the Holy Masjid are considered mass gatherings (MGs), defined as concentrations of people at a specific location for a certain objective over a predetermined amount of time. Such gatherings might strain the host nation’s preparation and reaction capabilities, increasing the chances of spreading infectious diseases.

Aim

To evaluate the comprehension of hand hygiene (HH) and proper HH habits among visitors to the Holy Masjid during the month of Ramadan in 2023.

Methods

A total of 690 visitors to the Holy Masjid were interviewed for this cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was developed using model questions from another published survey.

Results

Of the participants, 541 (78.4%), predominantly female, had generally good knowledge about HH. A total of 282 (40.9%) participants used nothing to clean their hands after shaking hands with someone. Four hundred and eighty (69.6%) participants were aware that poor HH does not spread HIV/AIDS, and 504 (73%) stated that consistent HH does not reduce the body's natural immunity. A total of 530 (76.8%) participants with good knowledge about HH cleaned their hands before meals, compared to 131 (19%) participants with poor knowledge of HH.

Conclusion

Based on the results of our study, the participants' awareness of HH was generally high, with most recognizing the role of good HH in preventing common infectious diseases, such as gastrointestinal and respiratory infections. However, certain aspects of HH, such as the necessity and proper use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, were not well understood. Regular, focused awareness-raising initiatives are recommended to enhance HH knowledge and practices among visitors to the Holy Masjid.