Abstract

Author:
Haider Mannan, Sayed Koushik Ahamed, Uthpall Kumar Roy, Md. Kouser, Md. Rabiul Alam, Pradip Debnath, Sangita Chakraborty

Doi: 10.26480/jhcdc.02.2022.26.34

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Background: During the Covid-19 pandemic, the risk is high for people to contact the virus. The risk multiplies at crowded places. To combat the problem in a country like Bangladesh, where hygienic practices are poor, we manufactured a user-friendly hand washing device. The public use of this device will ensure a hygienic lifestyle for people. Methods: Manufactured in Bangladesh’s Cumilla and unveiled on August 15, 2020, this “Foot Press Hand washing Device” is a system requiring only a foot pressing to operate. It was designed based on the hydraulic pressure of the air pump having two operational aspects- soap ejection and water outlet. An online cross-sectional survey on 450 individuals in three cities and a face-to-face survey in a Bangladesh village were conducted to assess users’ satisfaction. Results: A total of 73.1% and 70.1% respondents in two surveys used a hand washing device in the past six months, 71.8% and 73.8% prioritized 20-second hand washing, 37.6% and 68.7% voiced importance of health hygiene against Covid-19. A total of 71.0% and 78.1% found the device unique while 71.2% and 74.7% believed it useful against Covid-19, 68.0% and 73.3% believed it suitable for rural people, 71.8% and 73.6% believed that it could be placed in a crowded place, 44.4% and 65.1% found it user-friendly for rural people. Conclusions: The device helps restrict virus transmission by washing hands with soap water in public places. This low-cost device can be produced using locally available materials. Future studies are needed to assess its effectiveness to prevent Covid-19 and hygiene-related infections.