Personal Hygiene

The study dealt on the assessment of personal hygiene practices among undergraduate hostelites in University of Benin. To achieve the purpose of the study, four research questions were raised and answered. The descriptive survey research method was adopted for the study. The population for this study was made of all the 10,694 undergraduate residing in the hostels of the University of Benin during the 2024/2025 academic session. The sample size for the study was made up of 385 respondents. With the aid of the simple random sampling technique, 77 respondents each were selected from hall 1, hall 2, hall 3, hall 4 and hall 5, thus, making a total sample size of 385 respondents. The research instrument is a self- structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by the researcher’s supervisor and two other experts in the department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education. The split-half method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. The questionnaire was administered to a group of 20 respondents which were not part of the Study. A Cronbach coefficient of .795 was obtained. This shows that the instrument is reliable. For data analysis, frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to calculate the research findings. Findings from the study revealed that there is high level of knowledge of personal hygiene among undergraduate hostel residents at the University of Benin. The study concluded that the common personal hygiene practices adopted by undergraduate students living in the hostels include bathing at least twice daily, brushing their teeth twice a day, washing their hands with soap after using the toilet, changing clothes and underwear daily, washing clothes at least once a week, trimming nails regularly, keeping their rooms and surroundings clean, and using deodorant body spray daily. The study recommended among others that the University should organise periodic hygiene
awareness campaigns and workshops for students, emphasising the importance of personal cleanliness, proper handwashing, dental care, and safe food handling practices to promote better hygiene habits.