Assessment Of Knowledge And Practice Of Personal Hygiene Among School Children In A Government School In Liluah,Howrah: A Cross Sectional Observational Study

ABSTRACT

Background:Children who possess a goodknowledge and practice of personal hygiene measures such as hand washing have lower incidence of communicable diseases. This study was done to assess the status of personal hygiene and the morbidity pattern among the children of a government school.Material & Methods:A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 3rd and 6th standard students of a government school situated at Liluah, Howrah district of West Bengal, India over a period of 2 weeks in August, 2017with the help of a questionnaire. Results of the study wereanalysed with relevant statisticalmethods.Results:The importance of hand washingwith soap after defecation and before meals was known to 100% and 98% students respectively, however was practised by 98% and 76% students respectively. There is significant association between knowledge and practice of hand washingwith soap after meals (P value 0.04146). Brushingteeth, washing feet and taking daily bath (80.77%) are the most common practices. Most common morbidities were feverwith cough (17.3%), worm infestation (13.5%) and dental caries.Conclusion:Personal hygiene practices like hand washing, trimming nails regularly, etc can reduce the incidence of many preventable diseases among children, leading them to a healthy life.