Sanitation and hygienic practices of young children in rural area of Assam

Background: Assam, one of the North Eastern States of India contributes significantly to the high national child mortality rates. Hygienic practices are very important for a child’s well-being and influence mortality. Objectives: Our study was conducted with the objectives to assess the sanitary and hygienic practices of under-five children in a rural community of Assam and to analyze the factors influencing the sanitation and hygienic practices of young children. Materials and Methods: It was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among 360 under-5 children from rural areas of Kamrup district, Assam. The parents of the children were interviewed and sanitation, hygienic practices of the children and caregivers were observed. The data thus collected were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 18. Results: Most children (54.7%) were in the age group of 3–5 years while rest 45.3% were <3 years of age. Regular bathing, handwashing, wearing of clean cloths, and trimming of nails were the common hygiene practices followed by 60% of children. Education of mother and child’s hygiene practice was found to be statistically related (P < 0.001). Statistically significant relationship was found between family type and hygiene practices (P = 0.02). Conclusion: The findings from our study indicate the scopes for betterment of sanitation and hygiene practices of rural children to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality.