PREVENTIVE BEHAVIORS OF COVID-19 AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN SUB-DISTRICT HEALTH PROMOTING HOSPITALS, U-THONG DISTRICT, SUPHAN BURI PROVINCE

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to study preventive behaviors and factors related to preventive behaviors against COVID-19 among healthcare workers working in sub-district health promoting hospitals, U-Thong District, Suphan Buri Province. The population included all healthcare workers working in sub-district health promoting hospitals, totaling 137 people. Data were collected using a questionnaire on factors and preventive behaviors from COVID-19 with the validity value between 0.67–1.00 and the reliability value between 0.665–0.919. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, and the factors correlated with preventive behavior from COVID-19 were determined by Pearson's correlation coefficient. The study found that

1. Most healthcare workers were female (86.13%), aged between 40-49 years old (30.65%), holding a position of public health academic (33.58%), and had work experience in sub-district health promoting hospitals with an average of 12.63 years. 63.50% of them had work experience in prevention and control of communicable diseases, 78.83% received training in infection prevention and control and had high levels of preventive behaviors against COVID-19 (μ = 3.68, σ = 0.25).
2. Predisposing factors had no correlation with preventive behaviors from COVID-19, while enabling factors on environmental management for COVID-19 prevention had moderate positive correlation (ρ = 0.311), access to materials and equipment for COVID-19 prevention had low positive correlation (ρ = 0.268), and reinforcing factors had a moderate positive correlation (ρ = 0.323).

Therefore, the affiliation agencies and those involved should organize activities to support predisposing factors, influencing factors, and reinforcing factors so that healthcare workers can practice appropriate and safe behaviors to protect themselves against COVID-19.