A Cross Sectional Study to Assess Knowledge and Practices of Hand Washing among Primary School Children in the Kapurthala District, India

Abstract

Background: Hand washing is a believed to be a simple and effective practice to prevent communicable diseases. The infectious transmission of agents is rapid among school children due to their close relation with each other. To curtail the transmission, proper hand washing with soap is of great importance. However, in spite of its effectiveness, most of developing nations do not adhere to practices of hand washing. Since children are known as the vulnerable group who are at increased risk of communicable diseases, this study was performed to assess hand washing knowledge and practices among primary school children.The present study aims to assess the knowledge of hand-washing and its practices among primary school children and to discover the associated socio-demographic factors regarding the same issue. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in the primary schools of Kapurthala District from October 2019 to November 2019 in order to assess the hand washing practices among the children. A total of 200 primary school children were evaluated using a self designed, self-reported and pre-tested questionnaire. Results: Statistically significant results were found in urban population regarding hand washing before eating (P=0.006), after handling dirty things (P=0.042) and after blowing nose/coughing (P=0.024). The rural participants showed correct handwashing techniques with statistically significant P value of 0.015. Correct handwashing techniques were statistically associated with education of the children’s mothers with P value of 0.001. Conclusion: Regular hand washing awareness sessions in the schools should be organized in order to keep our society safe and healthy.