CHAPTER- 1

INTRODUCTION
 INTRODUCTION

“Good personal hygiene is the key to good personal health”

The foundation of lifelong responsibility for the maintenance of personal hygiene is laid down in
childhood, which is important for the healthy adulthood and for the development of positive
values about health. Childhood plays a crucial role in moulding an individual personality and
also helps in preventing various communicable and non-communicable diseases. Poor health
among school children mainly results from lack of knowledge and adoption of unhealthy
practices. Therefore, they should be taught regarding importance of personal hygiene in order to
maintain good health.

According to World Health Organization, 3.8 M children under five years die from diarrhea and
acute respiratory tract infection per year (WHO, 2011).

Most of the health problems affecting school children are preventable by promotion of hygienic
practices through proper health education. There are 6.3 lakh schools in India, out of which
128.3million are primary school, 50 million are upper primary school. In our country 1,600
children die every day due to diarrheal disease having the cause of poor hand hygienic practice
(George et al, 2018).

These conditions can be prevented by good personal hygiene (Sarkar, 2013). Many studies
(George et al, 2018; Khatoon et al,2017) have shown that personal hygiene is poor in school
going children thereby leading to morbidity .Educating students on correct hygienic practices can
be low cost and effective measure for not only disease prevention but also help prevent
absenteeism due to illness in future (Leena et al, 2014).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), personal hygiene is the practice of
maintaining cleanliness of the body to help maintain health and prevent the spread of disease. “

Personal hygiene is an integral aspect of our daily lives that encompasses a range of practices
aimed at maintaining cleanliness and promoting overall well-being. It involves taking care of our
bodies, surroundings and daily habits to prevent the spread of harmful germs, bacteria and
viruses. Understanding the meaning of personal hygiene and recognizing its significance can
lead to a healthier and more fulfilling life. Here, we will delve into the purpose and benefits of
personal hygiene, explore different types of personal hygiene, and shed light on the repercussions
of neglecting this essential aspect of self-care.

At its core, personal hygiene refers to the practices that help prevent the transmission of
infectious diseases and maintain the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals. It
encompasses a range of daily routines, including hand washing, bathing, oral care, hair care, nail
grooming and wearing clean clothes. By adhering to proper personal hygiene routines, we can
protect others and ourselves from illnesses, ensuring a safer and healthier environment for
everyone

Personal hygiene is the science of healthy-living of an individual. The term personal

hygiene includes all those personal factors, which influence the health and wellbeing of an
individual. It comprises a broad range of day to day activities such as bathing, clothing,
washing hands and toilet; care of nails, feet and teeth; spitting, coughing, sneezing,
personal appearance and inculcation of clean habits. Training in personal hygiene should
begin at a very early age and must be carried through school age. Snow et al. (2008) reported that
children with proper hand washing practices are less likely to report gastrointestinal and
respiratory symptoms. In addition, hand washing with soap has been reported to reduce diarrheal
morbidity by 44% and respiratory infections by 23% (Curtis et al., 2009). Therefore, it is clearly
evident that the aim of personal hygiene is not only to promote the standards of personal
cleanliness within the setting of the condition where people live, but also to reduce the
prevalence and incidence of communicable diseases.

Poor health among school children is resulted from the lack of awareness of the health benefits
of personal hygiene. Diarrheal diseases, skin diseases, worm infestations and dental diseases are
most commonly associated with poor personal hygiene. One of the major problems faced by
school children are infections. The primary causes of infections are contaminated water and poor
sanitation, as well as poor hygienic practices. Lack of personal hygiene coupled with poor
sanitation favor person-to-person transmission of infection. Infection and malnutrition form a
vicious circle and retard children's physical development. Repeated attacks of infections often
compound the existing poor health of children, compromising children's attendance and
performance at school and not uncommonly, can result in death . The condition may even be
worse in a slum community with poor socio-economic condition and compromised living
situation. The origins of many of the illnesses of adulthood also have their roots in the health
behaviours of childhood and adolescence. However, majority of the childhood illnesses are
preventable by promotion of hygienic practices among school children through proper health
education by their parents and teachers.

Children in their primary schooling age can learn specific health-promoting behaviours, even if
they do not fully understand the connections between illness and behaviour. Health habits can be
developed in this period. More research on this ground is needed. The present inadequate
knowledge base hinders the development of improved strategies for enhancing the maintenance
of personal hygiene, which is of great importance to decrease the burden of communicable
diseases in the developing countries.

At the beginning of 20th century, major cause of child mortality in age group of 5 to 14
years was due to many infectious diseases which mainly resulted from lack of personal
hygiene. Therefore, maintaining good personal hygiene helps to prevent development and
spread of infection. Deb et al reported in their study that children who maintained good
personal hygiene were adequately nourished and were free from any kind of morbidity. The
factors that influence positive hygiene behaviour include knowledge and awareness regarding
personal hygiene.

Majority of minor ailments in children can be prevented by adopting primordial preventive

strategies and educating the children periodically. UNICEF highlights importance of school
sanitation and hygiene and has stated that various communicable diseases have led to
morbidity and mortality of children.

Schools are the most important places of learning and teaching in areas concerned to
personal hygiene and serve as a central place in community. In a survey conducted in India,
studies have stated that half of minor ailments in school going children are mainly due to
unsanitary condition and lack of personal hygiene. Children behave what they learn from
environment. It has been proved by various researches that childhood is the most important
period of learning, so healthy habits must be taught during this period. Good personal hygiene
practices can have far reaching effect in future life and health of children as well as in
community in which they reside. School premises can serve as an important ground for
imparting health education regarding personal hygiene as they hold a central place in
communities. The benefits of personal hygiene are not only confined to school age children but
also to their families, communities and whole nation. Various benefits of good personal hygiene
include lower morbidity and mortality rates among children, better nutrition, cleaner
environments, social development and better learning and retention of children in school.

Activity is one of the keynotes of modern education, and extension of the use of activity as a
technique for teaching has given rise to certain methods of effective teaching as given by Farrant
(1964), which include:

I. Play-way method
II. The project method
III. Centers of interest method
IV. The assignment system
V. Questioning method

Play-way method: It helps feebleminded children to learn so well such that they out stripped
normal children in public examinations. Newcomb et al, (1994), claimed that a person
remembers 90 o\o of what they say as they perform an activity. The method is based on the use
of activity purposefully during teaching-learning periods. In such periods, the teacher engages
the students to perform an activity that will clarify the subject matter that is being introduced to
them. This helps the student to learn and be independent to work harmoniously with other
students in the class. It offers opportunities to express himself and gain experience,
simultaneously.

Play is the natural instinct of a child for development. Through the process of education, a child
can develop to its fullest potential. When coming to education, play-way method as a strategy
instills and inculcates creativity, interest and psychomotor values in the child. This is greatly
emphasized in the young days of the child.

Play therapy helps to reduce anxiety about traumatic events in the child's life, facilitates a child's
expression of feelings, promotes self confidence and a sense of competence, develops a sense of
trust in self and others, defines healthy boundaries, creates or enhances healthy bonding in
relationships, enhances creativity and playfulness, and promotes appropriate behavior8 .
Snake and ladder game is one of the most attractive types of teaching in school children to
promote good hand hygienic practices. Through this, the researcher aimed to educate the school
children on healthy habits, prevention of infection and other imperative elements of healthy life
style about health promotion and helping them to practice their day today future life

NEED OF THE STUDY

Health and hygiene as a subject can’t be taught but it can be learnt as a way of life. The schools
impart a broad set of values that transient specific knowledge acquired during the time at school
will determine what kind of person the child will become. It has been proven that school can
provide an ideal platform for the promotion of health. Children spend considerable period of
their lifetime in the school right from their childhood to adolescence. This period has a special
importance in their growing age as they are particularly receptive during this phase. They can be
nurtured well for their general and personal health and the saying “catch them young” can very
well be implemented.

Children in their primary schooling age can learn specific health-promoting behaviours , even if
they do not fully understand the connections between illness and behaviour. Hygienic habits can
be developed in this period. More research on this ground is needed. The present inadequate
knowledge base hinders the development of improved strategies for enhancing the maintenance
of personal hygiene, which is of great importance to decrease the burden of communicable
diseases in the developing countries.

Communicable diseases are one of the most common problems faced by school going children.
Lack of proper hygiene and sanitation facilitates increase burden of communicable disease in
developing countries. Poor personal hygiene affects children’s health and makes them prone to
excessive exposure to many infectious, respiratory, and gastrointestinal diseases such as:
diarrhea, cold, fever, flu, abdominal pain, vomiting, distension, gum disease, dermatitis and
itching and, in the long run, affects their immunity, growth and development, and increases
school absence.

According to the department for education’s latest statistics (7th Dec 2017) sickness was the
main reason for absence in the autumn 2016 and spring 2017 terms. The overall pupil absence
rate is 4.5%. Previously many of the research conducted about personal hygiene indicated that
children with proper hygienic practices are less likely to report gastrointestinal and respiratory
symptoms.

WHO (2009) declared that every nation should achieve the goal as health for all. Method for
achieving health is with proper health care of the school children who form 15% of the total
population. Ensuring access to the primary basic hygienic practices are the major effort under
taken by governments, national organizations and international organizations such as UNICEF.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

“Effectiveness of Play way method on knowledge regarding personal hygiene among children at
selected school, Lucknow”

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To assess the pre-interventional knowledge score of children regarding personal hygiene

2. To assess the post-interventional knowledge score of children regarding personal hygiene.

3. To assess the effectiveness of play -way method regarding personal hygiene.

4. To find the association between pre-interventional knowledge score with their socio-
demographic variables .

ASSUMPTION

The children have some knowledge about the personal hygiene .

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Assess: it refer to statistical measurement of knowledge regarding personal hygiene among

children.

Effectiveness: effectiveness refer to gain in knowledge as determined by significant difference

in pre interventional and post interventional knowledge score .

Play way method: it is an approach that refer to conventional snake and ladder game that is
modified by incorporating good and bad habits regarding personal hygiene .
Knowledge: it refer to existing knowledge regarding personal hygiene and assess by using self
structured knowledge questionnaire.

Children: 8-11 years age group enrolled school children

Personal hygiene: personal hygiene refer to the practice to keeping oneself clean by measure
such as hair hygiene oral hygiene, hand hygiene skincare and hygiene of foot and nail to prevent
illness and disease.

HYPOTHESIS

All hypotheses were tested at the level of significance < 0.05

H1: The mean post -interventional knowledge score will be significantly higher than the mean
pre interventional knowledge score.

H2: There will be significant association between the pre - interventional knowledge score with
their socio – demographic variables.

DELIMITATION

The delimitation of the study are -

1. The study will be delimited to play way method.

2. The study will be delimited to 8 to11 years age group children.

SUMMARY

The chapter dealt with the background of the study, need of the study, problem statement,
objective of the study, operational definition, assumption and delimitation.