PERSONAL HYGIENE PRACTICES OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS: A STRATEGY FOR FIGHTING COVID-19

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine personal hygiene practices of primary school pupils in Owerri, Imo State. Two purposes and two research questions guided the study. The study was carried out in Imo State, Nigeria within the early (January to February, 2020) at the onset on Covid-19 Pandemics. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The study’s population was made up of 980 pupils and random sampling technique was used to derive a sample size of 200 pupils. Structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using frequency and percentage. The findings of the study showed that 89% (174) of the pupils had knowledge that personal hygiene refers to maintenance of cleanliness of one’s body and clothing. Also, 97.5% (195) of the pupils reported associating personal hygiene with good health. However, 15% (30) and 10.5% (21) of the pupils did not have knowledge that personal hygiene helps to reduce contamination of infectious diseases and prevents body odour respectively. Furthermore, the study’s results indicated that 98% (196) of the respondents do not wash their hands immediately they return back from school. Also, 22.5% (45) and 15% (30) do not cover their nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing respectively. The study concluded that personal hygiene practices of primary school pupils needs to be upgraded. The study therefore, recommended re-orientation of the pupils on the observance, need and importance of personal hygiene by the school management.