KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TOWARDS PERSONAL HYGIENE IN IGBINEDION UNIVERSITY OKADA

KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS TOWARDS PERSONAL HYGIENE IN IGBINEDION UNIVERSITY OKADA

Background to the Study

Students have a unique challenge when it comes to maintaining good personal hygiene due to the fact that they spend the majority of their time in close quarters with other people at institutions of higher education such as schools, colleges, and universities. The transmission of infections to students can increase the likelihood that those students will skip school, which can then have a negative impact on their ability to perform academically in college (White, Kolble, Carlson, Lipson, Dolan & Ali, 2018). Therefore, students, their families, and communities as a whole need to have a solid knowledge of, and be actively involved in, health education and promotion. In point of fact, a study that analyzed the hand hygiene practices of thirty students found that better hand washing reduced the occurrence of upper respiratory tract infections by 21 percent and the risk of gastrointestinal disease by 31 percent (Aiello, Coulborn, Perez & Larson, 2016). In addition, Sarkar (2019) found that the health knowledge of students greatly increased after receiving education in his study.

The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the transmission of healthcare-associated infections by healthcare providers as a serious concern and anxiety for patient safety and care. This identification was made by the WHO. The Globe Health Organization advises that healthcare facilities all around the world make the detection and prevention of healthcare-associated infections a top priority (Uneke&Ijeoma, 2019; Health care-associated infections Fact Sheet, 2018; WHO, 2018; Allegranzi, 2017), Nurses make up the greatest share of the workforce in the health care industry, and many consider them to be the "nucleus" of the health care system. They spend more time with patients than any other health care personnel; therefore, their compliance with hygiene practices requirements appears to be more crucial and imperative in limiting the disease transmission among patients (Sharif, 2016).

The health education that nursing students get on the topic of personal hygiene equips them with the knowledge in health and makes them aware of the reduction of risk associated with inadequate hygiene practices, such as the transmission of disease. The nursing students' education in health care gave them the ability to communicate information about personal hygiene to their families and the community. Consequently, this results in a better way of life, which in turn has the ability to improve their social hygiene profile. When it comes to preserving and improving the quality of health education, the creation of new regulations, services, and research on topics like these are essential components.

Good hygienic care as well as practices in terms of personal hygiene, i.e. its utilization, contributes to a significant extent on variables connected to healthy living, the prevention of dangers from diseases, and the transmission of diseases. These health risk factors are directly related to some important daily activities that are involved with worthy operational actions and obligatory responsibilities, such as washing one's hands with soap before meals and after defecation, brushing one's teeth at least twice a day, especially after breakfast and after meals, taking a bath with soap on a regular basis, keeping one's nails short, and engaging in regular exercise (Ali, Rahman, Siddiqui, 2018). The rising disease of communicable diseases in these developing nations is largely attributable, in large part, to the inadequate sanitary conditions and poor hygiene practices that exist there. In Nigeria, infectious diseases represent one of the most significant public health challenges due to the fact that their incidence is disproportionately high among younger children and adolescents and that their occurrence is strongly associated to one another (Akpata, 2016). Caries experience was found to be as high as 30 and 43% among Nigerians aged 12 and 15, respectively, according to research published by Adegbembo and El-Nadeef (2015). Education on health matters has to be offered in order to raise the overall level of knowledge. According to Haaple and Probart (2016), Moon and 2019 and Sidebottom (2017), schools are recognized as significant sites for creating health promotion and influencing health-related behaviors, particularly hygiene-related behaviors.

Numerous studies on the subject of personal hygiene, focusing on both knowledge and habits, have been conducted on a variety of diverse populations (Tan, Cheng, Soon, Ghazali, &Mahyudin, 2017; Miko, Cohen, Conway, Gilman, Seward & Larson 2018; Suchitra & Devi, 2017). This study intends to address a gap in the research by determining the utilization of health education on personal hygiene among nursing students in Nigeria. Because of this research gap, this study will evaluate the knowledge and perception of personal hygiene among dormitory students at the university.

1.2 Statement of Problem

The continued rise in the transmission of communicable diseases and the ease with which they can be passed on as a result of insufficient sanitary conditions and inadequate personal hygiene habits continues to be a source of worry for public health officials in emerging nations. Invalids are especially susceptible to the disease of communicable diseases as a result of a disregard for the most fundamental aspects of personal hygiene, as well as a lack of knowledge and practice on the part of health professionals. This is an area that should be emphasized to nursing students through the transmission of health education. The lack of knowledge, practice, and attitudes towards personal hygiene, such as washing one's hands, play key roles in the high occurrence of communicable diseases, which has severe implications as a result of this fact. There is a clear connection between a lack of personal hygiene and sickness. In terms of the latter, it has been demonstrated that washing one's hands correctly can minimize the likelihood of disease transmission. The failure to practice proper hand hygiene has been associated to epidemics of viral gastroenteritis, upper respiratory tract infections, and colonization by Group B streptococcal bacteria. In the majority of impoverished nations, around eighty percent of diseases may be traced back to a lack of adequate personal and home hygiene (Ali 2018).

Poor personal hygiene has been demonstrated in several studies to be a factor in the spread of germs from one person to another, the development of gum infections, an increase in the number of infectious diseases, the transmission of food-borne outbreaks, and infections of the reproductive system (Unek Ijeoma2019). These have been linked to a lack of knowledge on personal hygiene and the procedures involved in maintaining it. It has been discovered that diseases caused by a lack of personal hygiene continue to be a severe threat to public health in poor nations like Nigeria, and the persons who are most frequently at danger of transmission are those who are bedridden in hospitals.

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