Establishing Healthy Personal Hygiene Habits with Young Children in Australia: A Cross-Sectional Mixed Methods Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Amy E. Mitchell ◽  
Kavindri Kulasinghe ◽  
Alina Morawska
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Good Hygiene

Abstract Effective and consistent engagement in personal hygiene practices is important for preventing the acquisition and transmission of communicable diseases in childhood. This study aimed to investigate trends in adherence to recommended hygiene practices and identify factors contributing to difficulties in establishing good hygiene habits with young children (0–4 years) in Australia. A self-selected community sample of parents (N = 426) completed an online survey assessing children's adherence to recommended hygiene practices and barriers and enablers of establishing good personal hygiene habits. Parents reported interest in receiving information/tips on children's personal hygiene (yes/no) and nominated topics of interest. Less than half of children in any age group consistently (always/almost always) covered coughs and sneezes, washed hands after toileting, or washed hands before meals or when dirty. Children's non-compliance (i.e. resistance, refusal) was the most commonly reported barrier to establishing good personal hygiene habits, while children's compliance (i.e. cooperative behaviour, following or complying with caregivers’ instructions) was the most commonly cited enabler. Despite low levels of adherence, less than half (41.2%) of parents wanted information/tips on children's hygiene. Results suggest a disconnect between parents’ knowledge about recommended hygiene practices and actual behaviour. Development and testing of approaches to behaviour change that incorporate evidence-based strategies to manage children's resistance and support parents to encourage the development of healthy hygiene habits is warranted.

scholarly journals Self-Assessment of Hygiene Practices towards Predictive and Preventive Medicine Intervention: A Case Study of University Students in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Odonkor ◽  
Jones Kitcher ◽  
Mavis Okyere ◽  
Tahiru Mahami
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
University Students ◽  
Preventive Medicine ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Hygiene Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Prediction And Prevention ◽  
Good Hygiene

Introduction. Personal hygiene is essential to the current paradigm shift towards predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine, which enables the prediction and prevention of infectious disease outbreaks. Objective. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the personal hygiene practices among university students aiming at providing a basis for preventive and predictive medical interventions and to make future efforts improve target interventions for young people. Methods. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional study. Validated instruments that related personal hygiene practices were used to obtain quantitative data from 412 tertiary students from seven universities in Accra, Ghana. The resulting data were analyzed with IBM-SPSS, version 23. Results. There were more female respondents (54.4%) in the study than male respondents (45.6%). Respondents between the age group of 19-24 years constituted majority (59.7%) of the respondents in the study. Respondents from urban areas exhibited good hygiene practice compared to those from urban residences. There was a significant association between residence and hygiene practice (χ2=17.8, P≤0.001). We also observed that those respondents within the upper class in society had a poor hygiene practice, compared to the Lower Class and Middle Class respondents. Lack of education (63.1%) was observed as the main barrier to personal hygiene among the respondents. Future of the society depends on the health of its youth. Conclusion. A significant number of students are not actively practicing good hygiene. There is a need for deployment of preventive medicine interventions targeted at young people. It calls for improvement in methods of hygiene education for young people in tertiary institutions and the inclusion of hygiene in school curricula.

scholarly journals Do they really wash their hands? Prevalence estimates for personal hygiene behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic based on indirect questions

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Mieth ◽  
Maike M. Mayer ◽  
Adrian Hoffmann ◽  
Axel Buchner ◽  
Raoul Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Crosswise Model

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, billions of people have to change their behaviours to slow down the spreading of the virus. Protective measures include self-isolation, social (physical) distancing and compliance with personal hygiene rules, particularly regular and thorough hand washing. Prevalence estimates for the compliance with the COVID-19 measures are often based on direct self-reports. However, during a health crisis there is strong public pressure to comply with health and safety regulations so that people’s responding in direct self-reports may be seriously compromised by social desirability. Methods In an online survey, an indirect questioning technique was used to test whether the prevalence of hygiene practices may be lower than in conventional surveys when confidentiality of responding is guaranteed. The Extended Crosswise Model is an indirect questioning technique that guarantees the confidentiality of responding. To the degree that direct self-reports are biased by social desirability, prevalence estimates of hygiene practices such as thorough hand washing based on the Extended Crosswise Model should be lower than those based on direct self-reports. Results We analysed data of 1434 participants. In the direct questioning group 94.5% of the participants claimed to practice proper hand hygiene; in the indirect questioning group a significantly lower estimate of only 78.1% was observed. Conclusions These results indicate that estimates of the degree of commitment to measures designed to counter the spread of the disease may be significantly inflated by social desirability in direct self-reports. Indirect questioning techniques with higher levels of confidentiality seem helpful in obtaining more realistic estimates of the degree to which people follow the recommended personal hygiene measures. More realistic estimates of compliance can help to inform and to adjust public information campaigns on COVID-19 hygiene recommendations.

scholarly journals A Cross-Sectional Survey of Personal Hygiene Positive Behavior Related to COVID-19 Prevention and Control among Indonesian Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Fatma Lestari ◽  
Abdul Kadir ◽  
Muhammad Idham ◽  
Fahrul Azwar ◽  
Ganis Ramadhany ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Positive Behavior ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Council ◽  
And Control

People’s behaviors can affect the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Public behaviors, including proper personal hygiene and healthy life practices, the use of appropriate masks, and the application of good disinfectants, have an important role in human health and protection towards prevention and control of COVID-19 spread. This study aims to perform a survey of public behavior and best practices related to COVID-19 prevention and control among Indonesian communities. A cross-sectional study was designed to collect information using an online survey. Respondents were gathered from 34 provinces in Indonesia through the Indonesia National Safety and Health Council network and Universities network. Respondents voluntarily submitted their response to a predesigned online questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS 24.0. A total of 771 respondent subjects (male 386; female 385) were recruited. The results show that 96% of participants implement positive behavior of personal hygiene, including wearing a mask when going outside their house, and almost 67.3% of respondents sprayed a disinfectant in their house. The majority of participants hold a door handle (37.2%) and desk (28.1%) at a frequency of more than six times a day. There were 8.2% of participants implementing good personal hygiene, including hand-washing at least once a day and maximum of more than six times after going to the toilet. At-risk behaviors were conducted by respondents in which they touched part of their face at a frequency of once during an hour. It was identified that males are less likely to perform better hand hygiene as opposed to females. In conclusion, the study showed that positive behavior of personal hygiene related to COVID-19 has been implemented among Indonesian communities. This result suggests that positive behavior based on community-based prevention and control needs to be continually maintained in order to prevent and control COVID-19 spread.

scholarly journals Hygiene Practices and Microbial Contamination of Street-vended Foods in Kenyatta University’s Environs

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Were ◽  
Gertrude Were ◽  
Kevin Omondi Aduol
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Contamination ◽  
Total Coliform ◽  
Food Samples ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Microbiological Methods ◽  
And Training ◽  
Main Entrance

Street-vended foods are a major threat to public health because of their microbial contamination. This study investigated hygiene practices and microbial contamination of street foods in Kenyatta University’s environs. Both cross-sectional and experimental designs were adopted. Four (4) major vending stalls at the main entrance to Kenyatta University, gate (A) and at the hind gate at KM shopping center were identified for this study. Twelve (12) food samples were collected from these stalls; sausages, samosas and kachumbari. The foods were collected and transported in cooler boxes to the Microbiology Laboratory at Kenyatta University within 3 hours for analyses. Standard microbiological methods were used for enumeration of Salmonella, coliforms and Escherichia coli. No Salmonella was detected per 25g in all food samples tested. Fifty percent (50%) of kachumbari samples tested positive for E.coli whereas samosas and sausages tested negative. Kachumbari, from all vending stalls, had total coliform levels 4.12 log10 cfu/g, 4.26 log10 cfu/g and 4.21 log10 cfu/g, that did not meet the quality standards (4.00 log10 cfu/g) for ready-to-eat foods. Total coliform counts were below detection limits in samosas and sausages. All (100%) the stalls were exposed to potential contaminants: 75% of the vendors did not wear protective clothing, they handled money and sold food simultaneously, and polythene bags exposed to open air, were used for packaging take away rations. All the foods evaluated were safe for human consumption except kachumbari. Policies on safe street food to be enforced and education and training of vendors on environmental and personal hygiene to be strengthened.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Saudi Parents Towards Their Children's Oral Health: An Online Questionnaire Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Malaz Mohamed Elrafie Mustafa ◽  
Ebtehaj Saleh Albeshri ◽  
Mashael Khaled Althobati
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Dental Treatment ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Children’S Oral Health

Children's oral health is of paramount importance as it governs the oral health status of the upcoming generation. Their oral hygiene is a vital part of general childcare. This under-appraised issue is often neglected by young parents, which can result in poor children's oral health. Aim: To assess standard knowledge, attitude and behavior of Saudi parents pertaining to the oral health of their young children. Materials and Methods: a prospective cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia in 2017. The questionnaire included a total of 16 questions which were divided into two parts; the first part asked about parents' general information such as the name, age, gender, educational level, occupation and total family income. The second part included questions related to knowledge, attitude and practices toward children on selected oral health issues. Results: 1038 Saudi parents responded to the online questionnaire (70% Females and 30% male). Majority Saudi parents recognized many preventive dental aspects like importance of early acquisition of tooth brushing, avoidance of caries-related diet and nocturnal on demand breast feeding. Seventy three percent were convinced that it is better to take their children to a specialized pediatric dentist rather than a general dental practitioner. However, it was revealed that there was limited knowledge and awareness of Saudi parents about the significance of the routine dental checkups, ideal timing of first dental visit and importance of topical fluoride. Hypothetical myths and social beliefs associated with dental treatment like endodontic treatment were common; creating barriers to early preventive and curative dental care of young Saudi children. Conclusion: Parents were found to have inadequate knowledge in regard to oral health of their young children. The present research points to a need for enhanced dental education of parents, particularly in planning for their children's first visit and effect of prolonged on-demand at night breast feeding on development of early childhood caries. Community based oral health programs are required in order to raise parents' awareness regarding their children's oral health.

STUDY OF SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN BETA-THALASSEMIA MAJOR PATIENTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lokesh Kumar Meena
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Profile ◽  
Total Cholesterol ◽  
Serum Lipid ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Thalassemia Major ◽  
Beta Thalassemia ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Beta Thalassemia Major ◽  
Low Levels

Background: To study lipid profile in Beta-Thalassemia Major Patients. Methods: A cross-sectional was done on 50 diagnosed Cases of beta-thalassemia major in the age group of 1 year to 18 years receiving regular blood transfusions; not suffering from any ailment or any other disease leading to deranged lipid profile were included. Results: Lipid analyses of controls and thalassemic children. It is clear from the results that beta thalassemia major patients had significantly lower total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low-density lipoprsotein cholesterol (LDL) compared with controls. Conclusion: Lipid profile in Beta thalassmia patients show significantly low levels of total cholesterol, LDLC and HDL-C. Keywords:  Beta Thalassemia Major, Lipid Profile, Hypocholesterolemia.

Maternal Knowledge and Practices towards Sanitation and Their Relationships with Occurrence of Diarrhoea in Children

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shriya Ankit Seksaria ◽  
Mini K Sheth
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Food Hygiene ◽  
Maternal Knowledge ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Childhood Morbidity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

<p>Diarrhoea, a major contributor of childhood morbidity and mortality is mostly caused by poor hygiene and sanitation. Literature reveal that hygiene practices at household levels greatly affects the occurrence of diarrhoea among children. A cross sectional study was conducted to determine association between hygiene knowledge and practices of mothers with occurrence of diarrhoea in young children below 3 years in the tribal villages of Gujarat. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information on personal hygiene (PH), food Hygiene (FH), and environmental Hygiene (EH) practices of 536 mothers with children between 6-36 months of age. Past one month diarrhoeal episodes were recorded using the recall method. The mean percent scores for FH, PH and EH practices were 77%, 88% and 80% respectively. Almost 35% children suffered from diarrhoea in the past one month of which 10 were admitted to the hospital. Diarrhoeal incidences were associated with FH and EH practices (p&lt;0.001) and not with PH practices. Improvement in the environmental and personal hygiene practices of the mothers can contribute largely in reducing the prevalence of diarrhoea among children in Chikhli taluka of Gujarat.</p>

scholarly journals Household sanitation and personal hygiene practices are associated with child stunting in rural India: a cross-sectional analysis of surveys

BMJ Open ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e005180-e005180 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Rah ◽  
A. A. Cronin ◽  
B. Badgaiyan ◽  
V. M. Aguayo ◽  
S. Coates ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Child Stunting ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Sectional Analysis

scholarly journals STUDY OF SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN BETA-THALASSEMIA MAJOR PATIENTS

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poonam Meena ◽  
Satish Meena ◽  
Ashok Meena ◽  
Kailash Meena
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Profile ◽  
Total Cholesterol ◽  
Serum Lipid ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Thalassemia Major ◽  
Beta Thalassemia ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Beta Thalassemia Major ◽  
Low Levels

Background: To study lipid profile in Beta-Thalassemia Major Patients. Methods: A cross-sectional was done on 30 diagnosed Cases of beta-thalassemia major in the age group of 1 year to 18 years receiving regular blood transfusions; not suffering from any ailment or any other disease leading to deranged lipid profile were included. Results: Lipid analyses of controls and thalassemic children. It is clear from the results that beta thalassemia major patients had significantly lower total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low-density lipoprsotein cholesterol (LDL) compared with controls. Conclusion: Lipid profile in Beta thalassmia patients show significantly low levels of total cholesterol, LDLC and HDL-C. Keywords: Beta Thalassemia Major, Lipid Profile, LDL, HDL.

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