Evaluating the Effects of a Personal Hygiene Program on the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Intellectual Disabilities Teenagers and their Parents

Abstract

AbstractTo determine the effects of personal hygiene training on the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior of teenagers with mild intellectual disabilities (ID), this study employed a randomized controlled type, social cognitive theory design. A 10‐week, 10‐session program was given to the teenagers (17.38 ± 1.61 years) and their parent. Included in the program were activities covering the washing of hands/face/hair/body, oral hygiene/brushing teeth, clothing hygiene, and menstrual and genital hygiene. At the end of the program and again 3 months later, the personal hygiene habits of the teenagers were significantly improved compared to before the training program. Significantly positive changes were observed in hygiene habits compared to pretraining (p < .001). Compared to pretraining, a significant increase occurred in the skill behavior demonstrated by the teenagers (p < .001). Consequently, it is recommended that the program be implemented by healthcare professionals for all teenagers with mild ID and their parents.