Determinants of socio-demographic influence on attitude of health care workers regarding use of face mask in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Introduction: World Health Organization recommends on effective use of face masks as a means of protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) against respiratory hazards including COVID-19. There have been discrepancies in the attitude regarding the use of face masks generally. The purpose of this study was to explore the various determinants of socio-demographic influences of healthcare workers (HCWs) on attitudes regarding the use of face masks as a measure of infection prevention. Materials and Methods: This survey was conducted by interviewing 345 HCWs using a questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, and questions regarding their attitude toward the use of face masks. Each correct answer scored 1 and each incorrect answer scored 0. The total number of questions was 7 for the Attitude of healthcare workers on the use of face masks. The final aggregate score was calculated and then labeled according to the percentage of correct responses as good >50% and poor < 50% Attitude of health care workers on the use of face masks. Data were gathered and analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Results: A total of 345 participants (108 males and 237 females) were included in the study with the majority (78.3%) of them greater than 30 years and belonging to clinical Healthcare workers. About 72.5% of HCWs had a good attitude regarding the use of Face Mask. Age (p value=0.04), education (p-value =0.005), and profession (p value=0.0001) of Health care workers were found to have a positive influence on attitude regarding the use of face masks. Clinical Healthcare workers were found to be the only predictor of good attitude towards the use of face masks. Conclusion: The attitude of HCWs regarding the use of face masks was found to be good. Public awareness campaigns by Clinical Health care workers regarding the proper use of face mask is advocated by utilizing all social media, local languages, and other available resources. This may change the community's perception of the use of face masks.