Abstract:
Mobile phones have been identified as a potential global public health risk for disease
transmission. Recently, mobile phone manufacturers revised their user support
guidelines and stated that the exterior surfaces of phones could be disinfected. Mobile
phone usage has become a vital part of students’ lives for communication and
accessing vital information for education. This study aims to assess the mobile
hygiene practices adopted by undergraduates, and the microbiological contamination
of mobile phones at a selected higher education institute. A cross-sectional study was
carried out. A pre-validated questionnaire was distributed among the undergraduates
of KAATSU International University of Sri Lanka. Descriptive statistics were used to
analyse the data. Swab samples were collected and cultured on nutrient agar from
randomly selected 50 participants' mobile phones. The number of colony types
produced by each device was used to determine the level of bacterial contamination. A
total of 353 undergraduates participated in the study. Two hundred and thirty-three
(66%) students knew that phone surfaces can get contaminated with pathogens, and
34% weren’t aware of this. Two hundred and five (58%) students have shared their
mobile phones with others. Two hundred and fifteen (61%) have used mobile phones
while eating. Hundred and seventy-three (49%) students were using mobile phones in
washrooms, and 208 (59%) used them during laboratory sessions. Two hundred and
eighty-six (81%) students stated that they clean their phones. Of these, 25.5% were
cleaning their mobile phones regularly, 41% were occasionally cleaning, and 15%
were rarely cleaning. Sixty-four (18%) students have not cleaned their mobile phones
at any time. Around 124 (35%) have used more than one method to clean their phones.
Two hundred and forty-four (69%) students used normal tissue/dry cotton cloth to
wipe the phones, 235 (67%) used wet tissues, 219 (62%) used cotton cloth with
alcohol-based products; and 30 (8.5%) used cotton cloth with water. Twenty-five
(7%) mobile phone users used Dettol® products to wipe their phones. Of the 50 swab
samples collected, 48 (96%) showed contamination with one or more types of
bacteria: 24 (48%) had three colony types, 14 (28%) had two types, 6 (12%) had one
type, and 4 (8%) had four types. Despite most undergraduates’ claims of cleaning their
devises, a considerable level of microbial contamination is cause for concern.
