The environmental health conditions and factors associated with preventive behaviors of Covid-19 disease by hotel staff in Chiang Khan District, Loei province

Abstract

This study is a cross-sectional analytical study aimed at assessing the environmental health conditions and factors associated with preventive behaviors from Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) by hotel staff in Chiang Khan District, Loei province. Data collection was done with a survey of the environmental health conditions at 20 hotels of two-story size and interviews with 80 staff members. Data were collected during July and August 2021 and analyzed using statistics with percentage, mean, and standard deviation, including Pearson's correlation coefficient of statistical significance at .05 level. The study results showed that almost all hotels had sanitary environmental health conditions, but there are still some places that are unhygienic in terms of sanitation of food and drinking water, at 40.00 percent. For example, ready-to-eat food was not separated individually, workers did not use disposable food handling equipment and utensils, the kitchen was not separated, and garbage shelters did not prevent disease-carrying animals. For factors related to COVID-19 prevention behaviors, knowledge about preventing the disease was found positively associated at a moderate level with the attitude towards the prevention (r=0.45, p-value=0.001), also positively with the preventive behaviors at a rather high level (r=0.75, p-value=0.001). However, the attitude towards pandemic prevention was positive with preventive behaviors at a rather low level (r=0.35, p- value=0.001). Therefore, the concerned agencies should implement the projects stressing the hotel staff to realize the preventive measures of food sanitation in terms of being able to prevent Covid-19 and other contagious diseases.