Personal Hygiene Practices of Badjaos in Surigao City, Philippines

Abstract

This descriptive-quantitative study assessed the personal hygiene practices among the Sama Badjaos in Surigao City. The main instruments used to gather the data were researcher-made questionnaires. The study respondents were 68 Badjao respondents of P-1, Barangay Canlanipa, Surigao City, whose ages are 16 years old and above. This research utilized a descriptive quantitative research design, employing survey techniques and researcher-made questionnaires as the primary methodological approach. The design aimed to gather data through surveys in order to explore and analyze the phenomenon under investigation. The findings showed that there were significant differences in different categories of personal hygiene practices when the respondents were grouped according to their age, sex, and educational attainment. The study’s findings highlighted a significant degree of variance in the respondents’ hygiene practices with respect to the profile variables including bathing, oral and hand hygiene, clothing, and more. The study recommended sharing these findings with health organizations to disseminate information within the Badjao community via health education programs. Furthermore, presenting the findings to local officials and parents was suggested to improve hygiene practices. Lastly, based on the findings, future researchers were advised to address gaps by using visual aids and achieving a balanced respondent distribution.