Knowledge about hand washing among primary school students from two public schools in Campeche, Mexico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32776/0f9zzy83Keywords:
Public Health, Handwashing, Child, Knowledge, StudentsAbstract
Introduction: Handwashing is a hygiene measure with a significant impact on public health, contributing to the prevention of infectious diseases, particularly among school-aged children. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of handwashing among fourth- to sixth-grade students in two elementary schools in Campeche City. Materials and method: A quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study was conducted. A self-administered questionnaire of 17 multiple-choice questions about handwashing knowledge was used. Results: 208 schoolchildren participated in the study; 26.9% responded that handwashing should last 1 minute. High percentages were obtained for always washing hands after touching garbage (93.3%), after using the toilet (91.3%), and before eating (88.5%). In contrast, 46.6% responded that hands should always be washed after playing, and 65.9% that hands should always be washed after sneezing or coughing. Conclusion: Knowledge about handwashing varies depending on the topic addressed. Some aspects of handwashing areas more internalized by schoolchildren than others. For example, the timing of handwashing before eating and after touching the garbage shoed a high percentage of awareness, similar to other studies compared to the timing of handwashing after playing and /or after sneezing, which showed lower percentages. This indicates a knowledge gap among the participants, which could also interfere with the practice of hygiene
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