TO GET THE COMPLETE JOURNAL/THESIS FOR TOPIC BELOW,
CALL: 08168759420, 08068231953
WHATSAPP: 08137701720
PERSONAL HYGIENE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN LIVING IN NIGERIA
Abstract
For children, maintenance of personal hygiene helps to improve the quality of life and longevity. This is of particular importance in a slum community with compromised living situation. This study was undertaken to find out the knowledge and practice of personal hygiene among the primary school children living in a slum area, to identify any misconception among them regarding the maintenance of personal hygiene, to find out their morbidity pattern, and also to elicit the relationship between practice of personal hygiene among the children and the literacy status of their mother. Methods. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 104 primary school children of a primary school situated in the slum area of Nigeria with the help of a predesigned, pre-tested and structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed statistically by simple proportions and tests of significance.
Results. It was found that the female students were more knowledgeable than the male students regarding the maintenance of personal hygiene. There was a wide gap between practice and knowledge of personal hygiene among the primary school children living in the slum area. Even, misconceptions do exist on certain indicators of personal hygiene among the students. Statistically significant association was observed between practices of personal hygiene among the primary school children and the literacy status of their mother.
Discussion and conclusions. Future of a society depends considerably on the health of its children. The parents and the school teachers, as constructive shapers of children’s health behaviors, should play a responsible role in early education of children on personal hygiene.
Key words
Primary school children • Personal hygiene • Maternal literacy • Slum • India
Summary