Basic Hygiene Practices Research Articles

Antimicrobial resistance profile of Escherichia coli in drinking water from one health perspective in low and middle income countries

IntroductionAntimicrobial resistance is a major global public health concern, especially in low-resource settings. In low- and middle-income countries, the existing evidence about antimicrobial resistance in drinking water is inconsistence and not comprehensive. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli from drinking water in low- and middle-income countries.MethodsThis study was conducted using comprehensive literature searches using various databases such as PubMed, Scientific Direct, HINARI, and Google Scholar. Data extraction was performed using Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA 14/SE software for analysis. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute’s quality appraisal tool to ensure the quality of the included studies. A random effects model was employed to estimate the pooled prevalence. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Egger’s regression test. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were also conducted in this study.ResultsThe study found that the pooled prevalence of Escherichia coli isolates in drinking water was 37.94% (95% CI: 26.73–49.13). The prevalence of multidrug resistance was 43.65% (95% CI: 31.15–56.15). Regarding specific antimicrobials, the pooled resistance levels of Escherichia coli were 54.65% (95% CI: 41.35–67.96) against contrimoxazole, followed by 48.64% (95% CI: −3.6–101) against amoxicillin and 48% (95% CI: −18.1–114.2) against cefuroxime.ConclusionThe findings indicated a significant prevalence of antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from drinking water and its multidrug resistance. To address this issue, it recommends focusing on improving basic hygiene and sanitation practices and enhancing water and wastewater treatment systems.Systematic review registrationIdentifier CRD42024533592.

The Implications of Handwashing and Skin Hygiene on Infectious Disease Dynamics: The African Scenario

Infectious diseases are largely preventable, yet they continue to pose a significant threat to public health, particularly among vulnerable populations in developing countries. Basic hygiene practices, especially hand and skin hygiene, have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of the cross-transmission of infections, including those caused by multi-drug-resistant organisms. In light of the growing global concern about antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need to review and reinforce these practices. This study provides a general overview of the role that hand hygiene practices play in decreasing infectious diseases by conducting a comprehensive review. Multiple online databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched using relevant keywords such as “hygiene practices”, “infectious diseases”, “public health”, “Africa”, and “sanitation”. After filtering the search results for relevancy, selected studies were narratively synthesized to present the latest data on hand hygiene and its impact on infectious diseases. Strengthening hand and skin hygiene, along with environmental sanitation and preventive measures, can help reduce the spread of nosocomial infections. By emphasizing the importance of these fundamental hygiene practices, particularly in regions where the burden of infectious diseases is highest, the development of antibiotic-resistant diseases can be prevented, improving patient safety, and enhancing public health outcomes. Adopting comprehensive hygiene policies, including regular handwashing, is crucial for reducing the prevalence of infectious diseases and improving health outcomes in developing countries.

ASSESSING FOOD SAFETY AWARENESS AND PRACTICES AMONG STREET FOOD VENDORS IN KATSINA STATE, NORTH WESTERN NIGERIA

Food safety is a critical global issue, with contaminated food posing serious health risks, particularly to vulnerable populations such as children under five, the elderly, and the sick. This study examined food safety practices among street food vendors in major towns of Katsina State. Using structured questionnaires and a multi-stage sampling technique, data were collected from a total of 316 street food vendors to assess vendors' awareness and adoption of food safety measures. Descriptive statistics and traffic light model were used to analyse the data. While vendors demonstrated high awareness of basic hygiene practices like washing utensils and avoiding work when ill, the adoption of other crucial practices, such as using hand gloves and maintaining clean selling locations, was found to be low. This gap between awareness and practice highlights the need for targeted interventions, including training programs and public awareness campaigns, to bridge the knowledge-behaviour gap. The traffic light model categorized food safety risk to levels, revealing that many vendors operate at high to moderate risk levels. These findings underscore the importance of continuous monitoring, feedback, and enforcement of food safety regulations. Recommendations include enhancing access to resources, providing incentives for good practices, and implementing regular health and safety audits. This can significantly reduce foodborne illnesses, ensuring safer food consumption, and supporting national health and economic development through safer trade and tourism activities. This study contributes to the on-going discourse on food safety in developing regions and highlights critical areas for policy and practical interventions to safeguard public health.

Seroprevalence of IgG and IgM Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in Dogs in Greece.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is a zoonotic disease that affects various animal species, including dogs, that can serve as sentinels for indirectly estimating the environmental contamination. The current study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in dogs across different regions of Greece and assess their living area as a potential risk factor. In total, 1282 blood samples were collected from dogs in urban and rural areas of Greece, including Attica and Thessaloniki. Serum samples were tested for T. gondii-specific IgG and IgM antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. A chi-square test was performed to assess the association between seropositivity for T. gondii and geographical location (urban/rural). The overall T. gondii seroprevalence was 47.6%, while the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies was 34.3% and 22.2%, respectively. Dogs from rural areas exhibited a significantly higher seroprevalence (53.8%) than those from urban areas (43.9%) (p < 0.001), with the estimated odds ratio being equal to 1.49 (95% CI, 1.18 to 1.65) and the relative risk increased by 22.4%. Dogs in Greece are highly exposed to T. gondii, particularly in rural areas. Measures to prevent canine infections are necessary, and basic hygiene practices, such as hand washing after petting dogs, are required to reduce human infection risk and safeguard public health.

Threat Modeling for Cyber Warfare Against Less Cyber-Dependent Adversaries

Cyber warfare poses a substantial threat in today's interconnected world, where digital attacks can transcend physical boundaries and affect targets globally. Technologically, less advanced adversaries, such as smaller nations or organizations with limited resources, face unique challenges in defending against sophisticated cyber attacks from more advanced entities. This paper explores the threat landscape for these adversaries and proposes a tailored threat modeling framework to address their specific vulnerabilities and needs. By examining the evolution of cyber warfare, including historical incidents and the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, the study highlights the limitations of existing threat modeling approaches like the Cyber Kill Chain, MITRE ATT&amp;CK Framework, and SWOT analysis when applied to less advanced adversaries. A comprehensive literature review underscores the gaps in current research, particularly the necessity for frameworks tailored to asymmetric technological capabilities. Employing a mixed methods approach, the research combines qualitative and quantitative data from primary sources, such as interviews with cybersecurity experts, and secondary sources, including existing literature and case studies. The proposed framework focuses on asset identification and classification, vulnerability assessment, threat analysis, and risk assessment. Proactive measures, such as basic cyber hygiene practices, advanced threat detection systems, and collaboration with technologically advanced allies, are recommended alongside reactive measures like incident response planning and disaster recovery. The importance of international cooperation and information sharing is also emphasized. Case studies of cyber incidents involving less advanced adversaries, such as the attacks on Estonia, Georgia, and Ukraine, validate the framework and demonstrate its practical application. The findings indicate that the tailored threat modeling framework effectively addresses the unique challenges faced by less advanced adversaries, enhancing their ability to mitigate risks and improve their cybersecurity posture. This study provides valuable insights and offers a practical framework to bolster defenses against cyber warfare, with future research needed to explore emerging threats and technologies further.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice to promote hand hygiene among undergraduate medical and nursing students in a teaching hospital

: A considerable number of epidemiological evidences proved that efficient hand hygiene practices has reduced the risk of infection cross-transmission in hospital facilities. Despite the effortlessness and simplicity of the practice, compliance with hand hygiene among health care workers has been relatively very less. There is a significant lack of evidence regarding infection control training among undergraduate medical and nursing students, hence it becomes essential to re-examine the efficacy of our hand hygiene sessions and conduct programs, CMEs, workshops frequently to keep health care workers sensitized and oriented towards hand hygiene.: The present study was undertaken to assess the overall exposure of medical and nursing students towards basic hand hygiene practices through a knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire based cross- sectional study. 100 medical and 100 nursing students were grouped into good, moderate and poor categories, based on scores from the questions testing the overall knowledge of hospital acquired infections, attitude towards hand hygiene and actual practice at the field level.: The present study showed poor knowledge among medical and nursing students i.e 41% and 60% of the participants respectively. Nursing staff showed good attitude when compared to medical students (71% and 56%). Regardless of the knowledge, practice of hand hygiene was good in both the groups 59% of medical and 71% of nursing students. On the whole, in comparison nursing population displayed better results compared to undergraduate medical student population. Nevertheless, evidently showing unsatisfactory results among both the study groups in the grounds of knowledge.: Therefore, the study concludes that knowledge and exposure to hand hygiene practices should be improved in undergraduate curriculum for both medical and nursing students which provides an opportunity to correct the bed side hygiene practices of the future health care providers at the foundation level.

Sanitation and Personal Hygiene Practices in Rural Nepal: A Case Study of Namobuddh Kavre District

Namobuddha is a Buddhist pilgrimage site located in Kavre District, Nepal. The main purpose of this study was to understand the sanitation and personal hygiene practices of people of Namobuddha, Nepal. Altogether, 80 samples have been studied through field work methods by using different tools and techniques like scheduled questionnaires interview, focused group discussion, and observation methods. Data analysis was done through MS Excels. Sanitation and personal hygiene practices are the fundamental elements for a healthy life. This research found out that every respondent was practicing basic sanitation and personal hygiene practices. Every resident of the field area is aware about the personal hygiene practices such as washing hands, washing vegetables, eating healthy foods, doing their laundry, taking bath, etc. Also, they were aware about sanitation practices such as proper toilet facility, proper disposal of wastes from kitchen and other sources, healthy drinking water, and cleaning their surroundings. Hence, overall activity of the respondents regarding sanitation and personal hygiene was satisfactory. Further, it was observed that females were more involved in sanitation and personal hygiene practices. They were involved in cooking, disposal of cooking wastages, cleaning the toilets, surrounding, washing clothes, making their children aware about unhealthy habits, etc. So, they have more knowledge on such practices and they know the consequences of unhealthy food habits and unhealthy surroundings. However, they had the problem with disposal of household wastages. Some of the households dispose of their wastes on the river due to lack of a proper disposal system. Thus, we were impressed by their awareness on sanitation and personal hygiene practice.

Assessment of the Problems Associated with the use of Public Latrine System in Ife-North Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria

Public toilets are an essential means of sanitation in some developed countries and have been the only possible alternative for many people living in low-income, heavily populated, and informal settlements. The aim of this study was to assess the problems associated with the use of public latrine system in Ife-north local government, Osun State. The data used for the study were obtained through well-structured questionnaires. A total of 181 questionnaires were distributed and 150 questionnaires were retrieved, while 31 questionnaires were missing. The respondents were selected randomly for the study. The descriptive statistics showed that male respondents were the major participants in this study. 80% of the respondents in the study area had access to public toilet. The respondents identified Sit latrine as the major type of latrine system available in the area. This study revealed that majority (40.66%) of the households used the latrine every day and the latrine was being maintained properly by the community. The result of this study showed that 86.66% of the respondents were reported to have contacted diseases as a result of public latrine use. This study has shown that poor maintenance of practice exposed the users of latrine to various diseases. This study recommended that Community leaders must ensure that users have been sensitized on the correct use, appropriate maintenance, hand washing and other basic hygiene practices Keywords: Public toilets, sanitation, developed countries

Acceptance and Attitudes towards Covid-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study from India

ABSTRACT: COVID-19 is a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 – 2 that caused a devastating impact and has affected human population globally. The mitigation measures to impede and contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease included lockdowns, social distancing, and use of masks, hand sanitization &amp; other basic hygiene practices. Administration of vaccines was considered the most effective strategy to reduce the risk of the disease. Several vaccines developed against multiple variants of Coronavirus to combat the dreadful disease. The project was taken with the objective to know the perceptions of people about the COVID-19 vaccines and was intended to evaluate the awareness, attitude, and factors determining their acceptance or hesitancy towards the vaccine among the Indian population. This study was conducted using a snowball sampling technique employing a cross-sectional and web-based online survey. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared and circulated among the general Indian population and feedback was collected and analyzed on knowledge and awareness, attitudes, and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccines. A total of 1,507 respondents from different states of India have participated in the survey. A considerable percentage of the population approximately 90% was fully vaccinated due to concerted efforts of Government authorities and health officials. The majority of the people were hesitant and unsure to administer booster doses of vaccines. The results suggested that the majority of the Indian population had good knowledge and awareness about Covid 19 vaccines and had a very positive attitude and acceptance towards vaccines but showed a lack of interest towards booster doses. Hence, various strategies need to be formulated to update the information to the public through awareness programs and their effective implementation.

Managing menstruation during natural disasters: menstruation hygiene management during "super floods" in Sindh province of Pakistan.

Menstruation is part of women's normal life, which requires basic hygienic practices. Managing hygiene can be affected by several factors and situations such as natural disasters. Focusing on 'super flooding' in Pakistan's Sindh Province, we pay attention to how this 'natural disaster' has affected hygienic practices of menstrual cycle of women. The study meticulously examines the dynamics of menstrual hygiene management, encompassing the nuanced encounters with feelings of shame and embarrassment among girls and women situated in flood camps, schools, and community shelters. It also intends to highlight women's challenge and embarrassment to participate in the distribution process of essential resources such as pads. The insights garnered from this study hold potential relevance for various stakeholders, including policymakers, healthcare practitioners, and researchers, offering a nuanced comprehension of the intersection of menstrual hygiene, climate change, and well-being of women.

Triple Burden of Malnutrition among Children in India: Current Scenario and the Way Forward.

The triple burden of malnutrition (undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiency) or TBM among under-five (U5) children is an increasingly recognised public health challenge. A literature search was conducted to identify studies published from 1976 to 2022, which had focused on information regarding different factors of child malnutrition. The findings were analysed and contextualised from policy and programmatic perspective. There is a high burden of various forms of malnutrition in India. Insufficient dietary intake and illnesses are immediate and most common causes of triple burden of malnutrition(TBM): (undernutrition, overnutritionand micronutrient deficiency). The other key factors associated with the TBM are lifestyle, nutritional practices, unsafe water, food insecurity, lack of sanitation & basic hygiene, unhealthy feeding & caring practices, inadequate health infrastructure, and suboptimal implementation of government nutrition schemes etc. There is scientific evidence that TBM has long term consequences on physical and mental development of children and has high cost to any society. The situation of TBM persists inspite of multiple ongoing government programs to tackle these challenges. The health service provision needs to move from the first 1,000 d to the first 3,000 d as well as focus on the interventions aimed at early childhood development. Multi-sectoral interventions through Anganwadi centres and schools (through education department) need to be conducted. The public health programs and primary healthcare services need to be realigned and health interventions should be implemented along with tackling social determinants of health and sustained community engagement and participation. Tackling TBM should be made a political priority. The life cycle approach for healthier children and society needs tobe fully implemented.

Basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices among school adolescents of rural area, Indore: A comparative study

Background: Young teens are more vulnerable to a variety of infections, particularly teenage girls if they don't take care of their hygiene. The reason of conducting studies in schools is as they spend more than one third of their lifetime in school. School environment, supply of potable water, etc. impact on healthy development. Material and methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in the field of RHTC practice at Indore Medical College from February to April 2019. A structured pro- forma that included questions about basic sanitation, water and hygiene practices, is used to gather data from teenagers studying in public and private schools. 200 students from public schools and 200 private schools in Grades 6 to 10 were selected by Quota Sampling to compare WASH practices among themselves. Results: The majority of teenagers in private schools have good levels of personal hygiene 58.3% compared to public schools 41.7%. Standards of personal hygiene increased with age. The majority of 95% of teenagers used drinking water sources in the private sector as opposed to adolescents in public schools. In the study, 73% of private schools had separate washrooms for girls and boys, compared with 89.5% of public schools. Nearly all washrooms in private schools were clean, compared with 40% in public schools. Bins were available in 67% of adolescents in private schools, compared with 34% of adolescents in public schools. Handwashing practices were found to be satisfactory among teens at both schools. Conclusion: Following the launch of the Swatch Bharat Abhiyan, overall WASH practices are enhanced. Practices among teenagers in private schools were found to be satisfactory, but improvements were also observed in public schools. Most of the time, teenagers miss school for lack of core WASH practices.

A systematic review of nudges on hand hygiene against the spread of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed the greatest threat to global health over the last three years. Due to the temporary shortage of appropriate vaccines, a systematic change in human behaviour is necessary to keep the spread of the virus under control, increasing the quality of basic hygiene practices, such as systematic hand hygiene. Nudges are increasingly used in public health interventions to promote critical preventive hygiene behaviours. This review aimed to investigate the effect and the characteristics of nudges on hand hygiene, as a COVID-19 preventive measure. We systematically reviewed the relevant literature from January 2008 to November 2020. A total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings of this review showed that most of the nudging interventions had a positive effect on hand hygiene. Nudges should be included in the existing and future public health interventions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and future pandemics, rather than being an alternative and unconventional tool for public health policies.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Menstrual Hygiene Management among Orphan and Vulnerable Adolescents in Lagos State

Purpose: During adolescence, young people develop their adult identity, and move toward physical and psychological maturity. Puberty, marked by the onset of menarche, is recognized as an important stage, marking the transition from girlhood to womanhood. From this stage until menopause, reproductive health and basic menstrual hygiene practices are important aspects in their lives. The study examined the knowledge, attitude, and practices of menstrual hygiene management among orphan and vulnerable adolescents in Lagos State.&#x0D; Methodology: the study was cross sectional and used quantitative research methods. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from the female adolescent students aged 8-17 years. A total of 434 orphan and vulnerable female adolescents enrolled in the Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award (ICHSSA 2) project funded by USAID in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study was conducted across the 11 local government areas where the ICHSSA 2 project is being implemented. Adolescents were scored for their level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of menstrual hygiene management.&#x0D; Findings: the study found that the mean age at menarche is 12 years. Knowledge and menstruation about menstruation is appreciable. About 92% of the participants had knowledge about menstruation before experiencing it, Majority of the adolescent receive information on MHM first from their mother (62.7%) and 88.5% of the participants use sanitary pads using 3-4 pads per day. 94.5% of the participants have good Practices (WASH) of Menstrual Hygiene Management. Access to sanitary pads is challenging.&#x0D; Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Most of the orphans and vulnerable adolescent girls had good knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene management. This demonstrates a need to design acceptable awareness creation and advocacy programs to improve the knowledge and promote safe hygiene practices of adolescent girls, in line with the SCT and KAP theory. Provision of MHM materials in schools and the inclusion of menstrual hygiene management into the school curriculum to achieve a near total coverage of safe hygiene practices among adolescent girls should also be prioritized as a matter of policy.

Hygiene Predictors among COVID-19 Screened Individuals during the First Wave In Mumbai: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction:The most important lesson COVID-19 pandemic thought is basic hygiene practices. It is important to understand hygiene practices among patients during first wave, when meager knowledge about the management of COVID-19 was available. Objective: To assess the adopted behavioral practices and predictors for COVID-19 infection among screened individuals during the 1st wave. Method: A cross-sectional study included COVID-19 screened individuals attending COVID -19 screening OPD at Mumbai. Total 950 participants were interviewed telephonically using convenient sampling method. Logistic regression nanalysis was performed. Results: A total 950 respondents participated, with median age of36 years (range:18yrs to 83 years). Respondents,RTPCR positive or quarantined were 36%. Analysis concludes that practices of having seen or read about hand hygiene, face hygiene, maintaining social distancing, cough etiquettes and enforcement ofstrict lockdown were significantly associated with lower risk of COVID-19 infection (p value &lt;0.05). Conclusion: Hygiene Practices were followed correctly by more than 50% of this cohort however few individuals were able to answer knowledge related questions correctly. Simple hygiene practices like face hygiene, cough etiquettes, social distancing, strict following of lockdown and having seen or read information on hand washing were predictors of COVID-19 infection. The study highlights the need for quick and rigorous attempts to educate people during a state of a health emergency.

CLINICALANALYSIS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN POST PARTUM PERIOD

Introduction Mothers, though delivered well, managed well, face certain issues in the postpartum phase due to lack of preparedness for this very important phase and lack of knowledge of basic hygiene practices – referred to as post partum well being. Aim To explore important domains of women's postpartum experiences as perceived by postpartum mothers as in to determine pain index, physical and emotional well being and to investigate how postpartum preparedness could enhance patient care for the postpartum period. Materials And Methods Qualitative research study was conducted to explore women's perceptions of the postpartum experience. Postpartum women (n = 100) were questioned at a tertiary care center C U SHAH MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL, Surendranagar, Gujarat. Mothers did not expect many of the symptoms they experienced after childbirth. We classied all the complaints and covered various parameters for overall physical and emotional wellbeing. Also differences existed in the major postpartum concerns of mothers and obstetricians. However, both mothers and obstetricians agreed that preparation during the antepartum period could be benecial for postpartum recovery. Results from this study indicate that many mothers do not feel prepared for the postpartum experience. Study ndings raise the hypothesis that capturing patient-centered domains that dene the postpartum experience and integrating these domains into patient care may enhance patient preparation for postpartum recovery and improve postpartum outcomes.

Isolation of Salmonella Sp. and E. Coli from Fermented Milk Product (Nono) in Kuje Area Council (Fct, Abuja, Nigeria) and their Antimicrobial Resistant Status

This study was undertaken to assess the incidence of antimicrobial susceptibility status of Salmonella species and Escherichia coli isolated from a fermented cow milk product (Nono) in Kuje, FCT, Abuja. For the purpose of this study, Kuje was divided into; Kuje North (KN), Kuje East (KE), Kuje West (KW), Kuje Central KC) and Kuje South (KS). In number, a total of 154 fermented samples of the products were collected for bacterial isolation and identification from the regions using conventional bacteriological identification methods. The identified isolates were tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility status using four different types of antibiotics by disc diffusion method. The prevalence of Salmonella sp. was 10/154, while that of E. coli was 18/154. The presence of Salmonella isolates was higher in those milk samples products where nearby stream was the primary source of available water for all routine domestic use including milk processing (KE and KN) respectively. All the salmonella isolates were found to be susceptible to gentamicin but 91.3% to amoxicillin, 90.2% to sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim and 88.9% to tetracycline. Three of the Salmonella isolates showed multiple drug resistance to two drugs. The findings from this research showed that the fermented dairy milk product (nono) obtained from local processing households in Kuje, FCT, Abuja was contaminated with public health important bacterial species; Salmonella species and E. coli. Also of utmost importance is the resistance of the pathogens to certain antimicrobial drugs which call for attention. Therefore, in order to ensure safe quality of fermented milk products are supplied to the FCT, the respective stakeholders engaged in this business need to be educated in basic hygienic practices and the implication of poor sanitation on human health

Food Safety And Hygiene Practices Among Food Handlers Involved In School Feeding Programme In Kaduna State, Northwest, Nigeria

Background: Poor knowledge and practice of basic food hygiene among food handlers pose a risk of outbreak of food-borne diseases. This could cause morbidity and impede the government’s effort to improve the nutritional status of pupils in public schools. The study aimed to determine the level of knowledge and practice of basic food hygiene among food handlers involved in the ongoing school feeding programme as well as determine the food profile being served. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 177 food handlers, selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was collected using a well-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate analysis (Chi-square) was used to determine the association between knowledge of food hygiene and food safety practices. Statistical significance was determined at P-value of ≤0.05. Results: All the respondents (100%) were females, with a mean age of 31.3±8.9 years. Many (41.4%) of the food handlers had less than a year’s experience in food catering services. About two-thirds (67.0%) had at least primary school education. More than half of the respondents (57.6%) had good knowledge of food hygiene, although there were deficiencies in some key areas of food hygiene, while 60.5% had poor self-reported practice of food hygiene. Respondents' knowledge influenced practice with a statistically significant relationship between knowledge of food hygiene and food safety practices. While vegetables and fruits were also provided to the students in order to supplement their vitamin intake, the meals offered were high in carbohydrates, protein, fats, and oil. Conclusion: The high level of knowledge of food hygiene did not translate to basic food hygiene practices. It is, therefore, imperative for the State and local government authorities to organize more training programmes to educate the food handlers on food hygiene practices and the danger of food-borne disease outbreaks.

A STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE REGARDING DENTAL HYGIENE AMONG SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN IN A SELECTED SCHOOL OF DELHI

A descriptive study was conducted to assess the knowledge regarding dental hygiene among school going children in a selected school of Delhi. A sample of 100 students , who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected using simple random sampling method. A structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge on dental hygiene among school students. Data was collected from 8th and 9th class students attending a selected school of Delhi.The data analysis and interpretation was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study result reveal that basic oral hygiene knowledge and practice of the studied participants were good and study suggested to improve advanced knowledge in children.

Cross-sectional observational study about knowledge and practice of handwashing among slum dwellers females in urban area

Hand-washing and basic hygiene practices can prevent diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, and skin infections. Despite abundant evidence supporting the efficacy of personal hygiene practices, they are not widely practiced. It has been observed that young children and their mothers in developing nations do not adequately wash their hands after contact with faeces . In urban slums with less access to clean water and sanitation, the magnitude of the problem is greater. In this study 200 female from slum of a city of northern Madhya Pradesh. Most of them were aware about the basic steps of hand washing and its importance but they not practice the hand washing with soap in their daily house hold work except after defecation.