Only 36% residents know proper way of coughing and sneezing, says survey

Only 36 percent of local residents know the proper way to cover their mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing, while 55 percent wrongly choose to use their hands.

About 26 percent of people said closing windows is a good way to prevent a cold during winter and 20 percent believed that antibiotics were the best way to prevent cold, according to a health survey conducted by local health authorities.

Shanghai started to do the survey in 2008. Though general health quality keeps rising, there is still poor understanding of infection prevention, chronic disease management and proper habits, officials said.

This year’s survey interviewed over 31,000 people who expressed a stronger interest in health due to the coronavirus epidemic, said Dr Wu Liming, director of Shanghai Health Promotion Center, one of the organizers of the survey.

About 23 percent of the residents don’t know the importance of visiting a doctor when suffering fever, 33 percent don’t know how to read the thermometer and 41 percent said people with hypertension needn’t go to the outpatient clinic for regular checks and treatment if patients' self check finds the blood pressure is stable.

“We will design more health education in line with people’s demands and knowledge,” Wu said.