Influence Of Credibility Of Sources Of Covid 19 Messages On Handwashing Behavior Among Youth In Kinondoni District

Abstract

Introduction; Credible sources of are helpful in influencing handwashing behavior change. Poor handwashing puts an estimate of one billion people in contacting COVID 19 despite that hand hygiene could reduce the risk of COVID 19 by 16%. Studies have not much documented how credibility of sources of information affect the response of different audiences. This study focused on how the credibility of sources of COVID 19 messages influence handwashing behaviour among youth. Objective; to determine the extent to which the credibility of sources of COVID 19 messages influence handwashing behavior among youth in Kinondoni district. Methods; A cross-sectional descriptive design employing was employed. A total of 376 (18-24) youth were randomly selected and interviewed using a questionnaire with open and closed ended questions. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were carried out using SPSS version 23. Chi-Square test and logistic regression were used Findings; The results show a slight difference between number of male and female respondents. The sample had 51.3% of male respondents aged between 21-24. More than half (60.6%) of respondents had primary education level. Majority who reported to have changed handwashing behavior were female aged between 21-24 (85.8%). Family and the president were reported to be more credible sources of COVID 19 handwashing messages. The Trustworthiness and attractiveness of the source of message were found to have influence behavior change P-value 0.003. Bivariate analysis show that trustworthiness was statistically significantly associated with behavior change (P-value 0.003). Logistic analysis show that both trustworthiness and attractiveness were statistically significantly associated with behavior change. Conclusion; Trustworthy of sources of COVID 19 handwashing messages influences handwashing behavior change among youth. Recommendation; Families should be involved in handwashing intervention to that they may be a positive influence to youth on handwashing behaviour change.