Open AccessPersonal Hygiene and Sanitary Practices among the School Girls in Dhangadhi, Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal
Author(s) -
Saraswati Kumari Joshi,
Nisha Adhikari,
Sita Kumari Joshi,
Durga Kumari Joshi,
Shristi Joshi,
Kalpana Chaudhary,
Tulsi Joshi,
Ravin Bhandari,
Dirgha Raj Joshi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
asian research journal of arts and social sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2456-4761
DOI - 10.9734/arjass/2021/v14i130227
Subject(s) - sanitation , girl , personal hygiene , hygiene , medicine , menarche , hand washing , environmental health , menstruation , family medicine , psychology , developmental psychology , pathology , endocrinology
The inadequate knowledge of personal hygiene and sanitation is directly correlated with the health of an individual, a family, a community, a nation, and the globe as a whole. To know the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of personal hygiene and sanitation among the girl students in Dhangadhi, Nepal; this study was conducted in four different schools and a total of 238 girl students were selected specifically from the grade 5 to 10 following their age range from 11 to 18 years and the data was collected by filling the questionnaires. The average age of menarche is 12-13 years, mother is the major source of information about menstruation (53.8%) followed by sisters (35.3%). Only 20% use commercial sanitary pads and the majority of them use both, i.e. commercial pad as well as old clothes (65.5%), majority of the participants change absorbent 3 times a day (53.6%). 99.2% have their own toilets, 100% use soap water to clean hands, only 64.7% do brushing once a day, 14.3% have oral diseases and 67.6% do not know about oral diseases while 92% have never visited the dentist. Only 16.8% bath every day, 96.2% use nail cutter, 53.8% of the participants cut nail once a week followed by 42% occasionally. Only 21.4% have access to safe drinking water and 78.6% are relying on hand-pump water. Overall, the knowledge about personal hygiene and sanitation is average, but the attitude and practice towards it need to be improved.