Abstract
This study assessed the knowledge, perceived effects, and levels of indoor air quality (IAQ) among 107 ICU healthcare personnel in two tertiary institutions in Osun State, Nigeria (OAUTHC, Ile-Ife and UNIOSUNTH, Osogbo). The objectives were to assess knowledge of IAQ, ascertain perceived effects of poor IAQ on staff and patients, determine physicochemical and microbiological contaminants, and identify perceived preventive strategies. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design was adopted. All 107 eligible ICU personnel were consecutively enumerated after purposive selection of the two tertiary institutions. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from Del Ponte et al. (2021) and BUCK BU23 air samplers for physicochemical and microbiological analysis, then analyzed in SPSS v28 using descriptive and inferential statistics (χ² and ANOVA) at p < 0.05. Results showed that 82.2% of respondents had good knowledge of IAQ, while only 19.6% exhibited good perceived awareness of its effects. Perceived physicochemical and microbial contamination was rated high by 92.5%, yet 92.5% rated existing preventive strategies as good. Key perceived contaminants were VOCs from cleaning agents (82.3%), high CO₂ (89.7%), airborne bacteria/viruses (88.8%), and fungal spores (81.6%). Preventive strategies strongly supported included regular HVAC maintenance (91.6%), HEPA filtration (87.9%), non-toxic cleaning agents (89.7%), and staff training (93.4%). Hypothesis testing revealed no significant relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge (p > 0.05) or perceived effects (except education level, p = 0.019), and no significant association between knowledge and perceived effects of poor IAQ (χ² = 0.655, p = 0.418). Despite high IAQ knowledge and contamination recognition among ICU personnel, a critical gap persists in perceived health effects and practical application. The study recommends that Osun State Ministry of Health and hospital boards immediately mandate annual IAQ training and install real-time monitoring systems in all tertiary ICUs.