Evaluation of Practices to Prevent COVID-19 in Barbershops and Hairdressing Salons: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to determine the practices of barbers and hairdressers working in Antalya to prevent COVID-19. Method: The sample of this descriptive study comprised 135 barbers and hairdressers aged 21-56 and working in Antalya. In the study, a questionnaire prepared by the researchers was administered online. Ethics committee approval, institutional permission, and participants’ informed consent for the study were obtained. Results: The mean age of participants was 35.8±7.65, and 73.3% of them were barbers, 26.7% were hairdressers, 83% were men, 74.1% were married, and 48.9% were secondary school graduates. It was determined that attention was paid to social distancing, ventilation of the environment, disinfection of frequently touched surfaces and materials, and disinfection/ sterilization of jointly used tools and equipment. It was determined that all of the employees in the businesses wore masks, and that most of them paid attention to hand hygiene and had access to personal protective equipment. On the other hand, it was revealed that the rate of measuring customers’ and employees’ body temperature in the businesses was low, some practices not recommended in the guidelines were continued, 5.2% of the businesses had employees who were in contact with an infected person, and 25.9% of enterprises had employees who had suffered from COVID-19. Conclusion: As a result of this study, it was determined that barbers and hairdressers in Antalya implemented the recommended measures to prevent COVID-19 to a large extent, but that there were relaxations in some practices.