Hygiene Practices

Background: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices are essential for adolescent health, dignity, and academic performance. Inadequate knowledge, poor attitudes, and limited facilities in schools contribute to waterborne diseases, absenteeism, and reduced learning outcomes. Despite sensitization efforts, misconceptions about WASH remain common among secondary school students, influenced by age, sex, family structure, and socioeconomic background. Strengthening WASH education and infrastructure is critical to improving hygiene practices and reducing risks.

Objective: To assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, prevalence, and determinants of WASH
practices among secondary school students in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria, with the aim of identifying gaps and making recommendations for improved hygiene management in schools.

Subjects and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 550 secondary school students selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested self- administered questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS version 27.0. Associations between socio- demographic characteristics and WASH knowledge, attitude, and practice were tested using chi-square statistics, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05 at 95% confidence.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 14.05 ± 1.85 years, with females comprising 60.4%. Awareness of WASH was moderate (71.9%), with teachers (48.3%) and parents (27.0%) as the main sources of information. Good knowledge of WASH was found in 177 (46.5%) respondents, while 204 (53.5%) demonstrated poor knowledge. Age was significantly associated with knowledge: students aged ≥17 years had higher odds of good knowledge (OR = 9.52; 95% CI =3.21–28.23; p < 0.001) compared to those aged 10–13 years. Female students were more likely to have good knowledge than males (OR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.17–2.71; p = 0.007). Junior secondary students (JSS) were significantly less likely to have good knowledge compared to senior secondary students (SSS) (OR = 0.005, 95% CI = 0.001–0.017, p < 0.001). This finding confirms that class level, reflecting both age and curriculum exposure, is a critical determinant of
WASH knowledge. Parental occupation also influenced knowledge, with students whose fathers were in skill level 4 jobs having higher odds of good knowledge (OR = 2.41; 95% CI = 1.31– 4.43; p = 0.036). Mother’s occupation showed similar associations (OR = 3.12; 95% CI = 1.45– 6.71; p = 0.004). Attitudes toward WASH were generally positive, but determinants were significant. Students with good knowledge were more likely to have positive attitudes (OR = 2.82; 95% CI = 1.34– 5.92; p = 0.006). Conversely, not living with both parents reduced the odds of positive attitude (OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.21–0.76; p = 0.005). The prevalence of good WASH practices was encouraging but not universal. While handwashing after toilet use was common (74.8%), fewer students practiced handwashing before meals (51.2%) or recognized the need for gender-separated toilets with nearby handwashing facilities (49.3%). Good knowledge increased the odds of good practice (OR = 2.21; 95% CI = 1.17–4.19; p = 0.015), while lack of privacy in hostels or public toilets was significantly associated with poor menstrual hygiene practice (OR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.01–2.87; p = 0.047).

Conclusion: Although awareness and knowledge of WASH were encouraging, substantial gaps remain in practical knowledge, attitudes, and consistent hygiene practices. Younger students and males were more likely to have poor knowledge, while family structure and privacy issues influenced attitudes and practices. Improving school- based health education, expanding the role of health clubs, strengthening WASH facilities, and providing private, girl-friendly spaces are essential to promote safe practices, reduce disease burden, and enhance academic performance among secondary school students.

This study examined the effect of a simple field trip on students’ knowledge and attitude about hygiene practices. The research was guided by two hypotheses: (1) that there is no significant difference in the knowledge of students about hygiene practices between those who participated in the field trip and those who did not, and (2) that participation in a field trip has no significant effect on students’ attitudes toward hygiene practices. A quasi-experimental research design was employed, with students divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in a field trip that provided practical exposure to hygiene practices and environmental sanitation, while the control group received only classroom instruction. Data were collected and analysed using independent samples t-tests to determine the effect of the field trip on students’ knowledge and attitudes. The findings revealed that students in the experimental group had significantly higher knowledge of hygiene practices than those in the control group. Similarly, the experimental group demonstrated more positive attitudes toward hygiene practices, showing greater appreciation and willingness to adopt healthy behaviours. The study concluded that a simple field trip is an effective experiential learning strategy that enhances both students’ knowledge and attitudes toward hygiene. The findings imply that health and hygiene education is more effective when learners are exposed to practical, real-world experiences that connect theoretical lessons to actual health behaviours and environmental practices. The study recommends that schools incorporate field trips into health and hygiene education curricula, provide adequate resources and support for such activities, and collaborate with health and environmental agencies to strengthen students’ participation in community sanitation and personal hygiene promotion. It also suggests further research on the long-term impact of experiential learning and comparative studies of different field-based instructional methods in improving hygiene
knowledge, attitudes, and practices among students.

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.