Assessment of Knowledge and Practices regarding personal hygiene among students of Government schools of Jaipur city: A cross-sectional survey
Abstract
Hygiene practices are very important, poor hygiene results into various communicable diseases. These hygiene practices can have cultivated in Childhood. School children are particularly vulnerable to neglect the basic personal hygiene. So this study was conducted on 1385 school children to assess the status of knowledge and practices of their hygiene with the source of their knowledge. This study was conducted on 1385 students of 6 selected schools of Jaipur city. It was observed that it was observed that 98.4% had knowledge about body and clothes hygiene, 95.2% had knowledge about teeth brushing, 92.5% had knowledge about regular clothes washing, 89.2% had knowledge about soap use in personal hygiene, 50.3% had knowledge about use of toilet paper, 78.8% had knowledge about use of nail cutter and 37.1% knowledge about sanitary pad. And 97.3% practice for bath & brush teeth every day, 95.1% practiced for hand wash before meal, 74.3% practiced for hand wash before cooking, 66.6% practiced for hand wash after cooking, 90.2% practiced for hand wash after using toilet, 87.8% practiced for hand wash after handling garbage, 75.7% practiced for hand wash after handling animal, 73.6% practiced for cutting nails in < 7 days, 80.8% take hair cut out in < 1 month, 70.1% use soap as hygiene product, 42.7% use facial tissue as hygiene product and 50.1% use cotton swab as hygiene product.
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Introduction
Hygiene practices vary widely and what is considered acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another. Communicable diseases continue to be the major contributor to global morbidity and mortality.1 Sixty two percent and 31 % of all deaths in Africa and south-Asia, respectively are due to infectious diseases.2
Basic hygiene refers to practices that help to prevent the spread of diseases and maintain health.1 It involves regular washing of the body(bathing), washing the hands when necessary, washing ones clothes, washing the hair, brushing the teeth, cutting the nails, and caring for the gums.2 School children are particularly vulnerable to neglect of basic personal hygiene.3
Studies have revealed a strong and consistent causal link between gastrointestinal infection and poor hand hygiene.3 Certain respiratory infections (influenza virus infection, common cold, etc) have also been linked to poor personal hygienic practices
Conclusion
It can be concluded from this present study that regarding knowledge of personal hygiene, knowledge about body and clothes hygiene, about teeth brushing, about regular clothes washing, about soap use in personal hygiene and about use of nail cutter, was very good of children but knowledge about use of toilet paper and about sanitary pad was not found very good.