Knowledge, attitude and practice of personal hygiene and its predictors: A school-based study among adolescent girls in an urban slum

• DOI: 10.5455/ijmsph.2017.0617706072017
• Publication Date: 2017-07-28T19:30:51Z
• Authors: Jayita Pal; Arghya Pal
• Keywords: Slum; Personal hygiene

Background: Personal hygiene plays a pivotal role in maintaining proper health. Adolescent girls being the future mothers are subjects to be considered for improvement of personal and dietary habits.

Objectives: The study was conducted assess status knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) hygiene, habits find out its predictors among school going adolescent slum area Kolkata.

Materials Methods: A school-based cross-sectional Government Secondary Girls’ situated total 327 Class V-VIII were included by complete enumeration method interviewed with predesigned, pretested questionnaire along checklist KAP after taking informed consent from their guardians.

Results: mean age participants 12.17 ± 1.255 years. Regarding knowledge habits, majority or near had correct care hair (94.8%), covering mouth during coughing sneezing (43.43%), nails (46.79%), hand washing (66.36%), necessity daily bathing (64.53%), wearing clean clothes (62.39%). Most them attitude (96.9%), (59.3%), cleansing feeding (47.4%), (90.8%), (62.7%), changing undergarments (60.9%). However, these not reflected practices. Multivariate analyses revealed religion, socioeconomic status, type family parental education significant hygiene.

Conclusion: Continuous health behavioral change communication programs needed lift up practices basic bring healthy society.