Assessment of Hygiene Practices, Awareness, and Water Consumption Regarding Covid-19 Among Children in a Refugee Camp

IntroductionAt the outbreak of infectious diseases, the response of different communities to the disease varies, and children are most affected by the collective anxiety and grief that consequently arises. In this research, the behavior of children and their parents in terms of hygiene and precautions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was investigated.MethodologyThe focus of the present research was on sanitation facilities, particularly access to end-use of water for hand washing. The research was conducted in Barika Camp, Kurdistan, Iraq and 311 parents and children were interviewed. A data collection team consisting of two females and one male was responsible for gathering data, primarily from women who served as the main respondents. Questionnaires consisted of three main parts: demography, COVID-19 pandemic effects, and sanitary shelter specifications.ResultThe results demonstrated that the behavior of refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the priority of child protection, type of disinfectants, and water consumption has significantly altered. These changes mainly depended on the women's age and education level.DiscussionOverall results showed that in 61.09% of the participants, the number of hand washes and in 58.58%, the washing time increased, leading to water shortage in the refugee camp. It is well documented in the literature that, children are the most affected by the infection and diseases. However, few studies are available in the literature that highlighted the behavior of the children and their parent in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the present study conducted in the in Barika Camp, Kurdistan, Iraq, is an attempt to respond to the new context of children infection and to the deficiencies that is not resolved up to now. Based on three major's factors, i.e., the demography, COVID-19 pandemic effects, and sanitary shelter specifications, obtained results revealed that the total number of daily hand washes and the washing time have significantly increased, and as a consequence, the amount of water diminish inexorably over the days.