Good Hygiene Research Articles

Sleep quality in secure psychiatric healthcare: Inpatient & staff perspectives

The lived experiences of psychiatric inpatients are not well represented in the literature, especially when these experiences pertain to health. Reports regarding sleep health are particularly sparse, despite the increasing prevalence of sleep disorders in this population. The current study aimed to explore inpatient and staff perspectives of inpatient sleep quality to aid the future development of a sleep quality intervention. Fourteen inpatients (average age 43 years, 36 % female) were recruited for individual interviews and eleven staff members were recruited for three focus groups, from a secure psychiatric hospital (England). A semi-structured interview guide facilitated discussions regarding the prevalence and type of inpatient sleep problems, existing support for inpatient sleep problems including medication, and the bidirectional relationships between nighttime sleep and daytime behaviours, such as napping and physical activity. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were developed: Irregular Sleep Schedules, Nighttime Disruptions, The Patient's Bedroom, and Keeping a Routine & Staying Physically Active. Study results can be utilised when developing inpatient sleep interventions, which were identified within the study as being sorely needed. Such interventions could focus on managing daytime sleeping, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity, in order to support good sleep hygiene, foster regular sleep/wake cycles, and improve overall health.

Assessment of knowledge and behavioral risk factors of reproductive tract infections among married women of 15–49 years in rural areas of Haldwani block, Uttarakhand

ABSTRACT Background: One of the most serious public health issues in India is reproductive tract infections (RTIs), which have a profound effect on the lives of men and women, as well as their families and communities. Objectives: To describe the sociodemographic traits, assess women’s RTI knowledge, and determine which behavioral risk factors are involved in female RTI. Methods: Using a 30-cluster sampling approach, a cross-sectional study design was employed to examine RTIs in 30 villages located in the Haldwani block of the district Nainital. Results: It was shown that just 7.6% of women knew enough about RTIs. Among the 450 women surveyed, the percentage of RTI cases was significantly lower for those who used the barrier method during menstruation (7.7%), had more than three children (25.7%), had a trained person deliver their baby in a hospital (24.1%), used condoms as a family planning method (5.6%), used sanitary pads during menstruation (25.6%), and maintained good personal hygiene (22.4%). Conclusion: The study revealed that the participants’ understanding of RTI was lacking.

Balancing your mind and gut: Exploring the influence of sleep and gut health on emotional well-being

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the mind, gut, and sleep is not static and requires proper harmony for optimal emotional health. Recent evidence suggests that gut health is a key player in regulating mental and physical health via bidirectional communication between the brain and gut. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative study was undertaken on 200 participants aged 25-40 years old for two months at a tertiary care hospital. A community-based method was used to select the participants from in and around Pune. The survey was conducted online with the help of a self-designed well-structured detailed questionnaire that included a demographic profile, medical history, history of sleep pattern, gut health status, emotional well-being status about gut and sleep physiology, and lifestyle-related issues and problems was administered to all the study participants. RESULTS: A statistically significant correlation was observed between the duration of sleep; and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms including heartburn (P=0.03) constipation (P=0.03), bloating (P=0.04), and indigestion (P=0.051). Specific GI symptoms as mentioned above were found to affect the study participants' emotional well-being significantly. Regular physical exercise demonstrated a significant correlation with an increased duration of sleep (P=0.003). Consumption of tobacco, alcohol; smoking, and consumption of stimulants like tea, coffee, and coke showed a significant effect on both the duration and quality of sleep (P=0.004). Gut and sleep disturbances were more common in north Indian subjects as compared to south Indian subjects (P=0.003). The upper socioeconomic population had more GI; sleep and emotional disturbances as compared to the lower socioeconomic study subjects (P=0.002). CONCLUSION: The relationship between sleep patterns, emotional well-being gut health is bidirectional. Prioritizing good sleep hygiene, managing stress through mindfulness or relaxation techniques, and maintaining a balanced diet that supports gut health are crucial steps in promoting overall well-being.

Sleep hygiene efficacy on quality of sleep and mental ability among insomniac patients

ABSTRACT Background: Insomnia affects both quality of life and productivity at work, and it raises the risk of other diseases, such as depression, that coexist with insomnia. Nowadays, it is highly advised to treat insomnia with behavioral and psychological therapeutic methods to ensure the quality of your sleep. Aim: This study aimed to find the efficacy of sleep hygiene techniques in improving sleep quality and mental ability among insomnia clients. Methods: Self-structured questionnaires used to evaluate sleep quality and the McQuaig Mental Ability Test to test mental ability were used to collect data during the study’s six-week duration, which involved the recruitment of 50 participants using a purposive sample technique. A paired sample t-test and Pearson correlation were used for the statistical analysis. Results: Data analysis shows that sleep quality (t = 33.35) (P = 0.0000) and mental ability (t = 35.33) (P = 0.0001) are both highly significant at P =0.0001. Correlation regression data of sleep hygiene elements such as schedule, avoiding caffeine and beverages, relaxation routine, and sleep-stimulating environment shows that there is a positive correlation with the quality of sleep at r = 0.9, 0.89, 0.75, and 0.68, whereas P = 0.000, 0.01, and 0.023, respectively. Similar to this, there is a positive association between mental ability and good sleep habits such as a relaxing routine, a sleep-promoting environment, and a schedule with r = 0.91, 0.88, and 0.92, respectively, with P values of 0.0001, 0.001, and 0.001. Conclusion: The results of the study provide compelling evidence that good sleep hygiene can help enhance insomniacs’ mental ability and sleep quality. Furthermore, those with moderate levels of sleep quality, those between the ages of 18 and 38, and those with higher education benefited more than others.

Knowledge, Attitude, And Oral Hygiene Practices Among Law Students In Chengalpatu District: A Cross‑Sectional Study

Introduction: poor oral health can have a profound effect on the quality of life. The experience of pain, endurance of dental abscesses, problems with eating and chewing, embarrassment about the shape of teeth or about missing, discoloured or damaged teeth can adversely affect people's daily lives and wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oral hygiene and dental health knowledge of government law college, chengalpatu district, law students. Materials and methods: thirty questions about fundamental knowledge, mindset, and practice were given to one hundred and fifty law students at the government law college in chengalpatu district, tamilandu india. Microsoft excel was used to tabulate the data, and the statistical package for the social sciences programme was used for statistical analysis. Results: of the participants in this study, only 39.4% were aware that regular dental check-ups were necessary. 8.5% of participants made two annual visits to the dental clinic andof the individuals, 57% had never been to a dental facility. Dental health education is important, according to 65.5% of participants, and it may be important, according to 21.8%. The results indicated a statistically significant association between the participant's year of law degree and the responses, as determined by inferential statistics using the pearson chi-square test. Conclusion: the study's findings indicate that law students' understanding of oral health care and proper oral hygiene is adequate. But the learned knowledge needs to be applied in day-to-day activities. This can be accomplished by altering their perspective on maintaining good dental hygiene

WASH services and menstrual hygiene management among reproductive age females in the IDPs camps of Shire town in Tigray region of Ethiopia: a cross- sectional study

Menstruation is a natural cyclic occurrence experienced by reproductive age females in a good health which deemed a proper management, otherwise, it ends with various health complications and impaired quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the menstrual hygiene management practice and its determinant factors among reproductive age females living in the IDPs camps of Shire town, Northern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 633 reproductive age females in Shire town from May to June 2022. Data were entered, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive analysis and binary and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to obtain the descriptive findings and to investigate the strength of the association respectively. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The prevalence of good menstrual hygiene management practice among the reproductive age females was 41.9% (95% CI, 38-45.8%). Menstrual hygiene management practice was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with access to sanitary materials, educational level, availability of continuous water supply and sex-separated latrines. The results of this study demonstrated that more than a half of the reproductive age females did not have good menstrual hygiene management practices. Consequently, it is recommended to work collaboratively to enhance the menstrual hygiene practice, especially in IDPs camps.

Prevalence of Salmonellosis among Undergraduate Students in Owerri Metropolis, Nigeria

Due to the rigorous nature of tertiary education, some students struggle to maintain good hygiene and healthy eating habits, predisposing them to infectious diseases. This study assessed the presence and prevalence of Salmonella infection among undergraduate students in Owerri Metropolis. Stool samples were collected from 97 students (24 males and 73 females) and cultured on Salmonella and Shigella agar. Out of the 97 students tested, 18(18.55%) tested positive, with the highest 10(55.56%) intensive prevalence coming from Salmonella typhimurium, followed by Salmonella paratyphi 7(38.89%) and Salmonella typhi 1(5.55%). The final-year students showed the highest number of Salmonella infections. The result also revealed the highest infection rate of 9(50.00%) among students aged 18-20 years in their first year of study, while the older students recorded a low infection rate of 1(5.56%). It is, therefore, very important that awareness of good hygiene and preventive measures for salmonellosis and other similar infections are intensified.

The Association Between Lifestyle Factors and Mental Well-being among Dental Students

Dentistry can be considered a challenging field, with dental students often experiencing high levels of stress and poor mental health. Hence, maintaining mental well-being is important so that dental students can cope with their stressors effectively. Lifestyle factors like physical activity, sleep problems, and addictions impact the levels of mental well-being. This paper aimed to identify the association between dental students’ lifestyle factors and mental well-being. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among all the undergraduate dental students at a university in Malaysia. Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire [which included questions on demographic background, lifestyle factors, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS)] and analysed using SPSS (version 26.0). Out of the surveyed students, 83.2% responded. The mean WEMWBS score for this study population was 46.09 ± 7.93. The results showed that engagement in physical activity positively affected mental well-being scores, while the presence of sleep-related problems was associated with lower mental well-being scores. Encouraging the adoption of healthier lifestyle factors, such as regular physical activity and practising good sleep hygiene along with the intervention of sleep-related problems, could improve mental well-being levels among dental students significantly.

Food Safety Practices Among Homemakers in the Sagnarigu Municipal of Northern Ghana

This study investigated household food safety practices (HFSPs) employed by homemakers in Sagnarigu Municipality of Northern Ghana. It explored their practices related to food hygiene, food storage, food preparation, handling and cooking, serving, and disposal of food. The study employed a stratified random sampling technique to survey 300 participants across six communities in the study area. Questionnaires were the primary data collection tool, supplemented by observations and unstructured interviews. The study revealed that, on household food safety practices, the majority (68%) of homemakers store cooked food at room temperature, store raw vegetables/fruits at room temperature (71.9%) and 36.3% store raw meat/poultry/fish by freezing. Food safety measures employed by homemakers showed that most of the homemakers wash utensils before and after cooking (72.9%) and serve meals when hot (87.2%). Homemakers had a moderate knowledge of food safety and observed good personal hygiene. However, some bad food safety practices were reported such as cooking or handling food when ill.

A clinical trial evaluation of handwashing products and educational resources to improve hand hygiene in paediatric patients and school children.

It is widely acknowledged that good hand hygiene (HH) is an important non-pharmaceutical method for reducing the transmission of infectious diseases. Children are at high risk of infection due to their immature immune systems. Hospital transmitted infections are a cause for concern worldwide, with poor HH suggested to be responsible for up to 20% of cases. Patients, in particular paediatric patients, are often overlooked when it comes to the promotion of hand hygiene compliance (HHC) in hospitals. This report describes the clinical evaluation of the 'Soaper Stars'; a collection of child-friendly HH products with linked educational resource, developed using the COM-B approach to behaviour change, and designed to encourage correct HH in paediatric patients and in schools. The Soaper Star products were distributed on paediatric wards in five UK hospitals, and the use of the products around mealtimes was evaluated. Workshops teaching the 'why when and how' of handwashing were run in four UK primary schools with pre and post evaluations conducted to establish impact on knowledge. Over 300 children were involved. The Soaper Stars products stimulated a 38% increase in HHC compared to when only hospital-issued products were available, and verbal feedback from families indicated that having the Soaper Star products encouraged improved HHC by all visitors, not just the patient. Workshops in four schools (283 pupils) showed an increase in knowledge around the transmission of infection and the need for good HH that was sustained for at least 4 weeks. The results of this study demonstrate that providing children with the age-appropriate knowledge about why HH is necessary, and the child-friendly means to maintain their HH, will lead to greater HHC, not just by individual children, but also their families.

A severe head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestation: Timeline, pathogen detection, kdr-gene screening and morphological anomalies of lice.

Lice are assuming an increasing importance in forensic investigations, given their capacity to provide information about an individual's care. Head louse pediculosis is a frequent condition in school-age children and can be properly controlled using topical treatments combined with good personal hygiene. Prolonged and chronic infestations may result in more serious outcomes including severe iron deficiency anaemia. We conducted entomological and laboratory investigations of a head louse infestation in a 12-year-old girl who experienced severe anaemia and subsequent death. Numerous lice were found postmortem on the head, face and neck of the patient, as well as on bedding and clothing. Analysis of nits on individual hairs determined that the louse infestation had been present for at least 166 days. The lice had some morphological traits characteristic of body lice: the third antennal segment in some specimens was distinctly longer than wide, and the apices of some paratergal plates did not extend into intersegmental membranes, while other morphological features were characteristic of head or body lice. All lice were heterozygous for the T917I kdr genotype, a marker of permethrin resistance. Nineteen (79.2%, 95%CI 59.5%-90.8%) louse DNA samples tested TaqMan positive for Acinetobacter (Moraxellales; Moraxellaceae) sp. Available information and laboratory findings are further discussed regarding their possible contribution to the negative outcome of this case. We stress the impact head louse pediculosis can have on children with limited parental attention, and how severe head louse infestation may serve as warning sign of neglect, and other high-risk situations.

Effects of health education intervention on menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among the adolescent girls of Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal.

Poor menstrual hygiene practices are one of the major public health problems in Nepal. Due to persistent taboos and socio-cultural constraints, adolescent girls are often unaware of scientific facts, knowledge, and practices related to menstrual hygiene. This paper aims to assess the effects of health education intervention on menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among adolescent girls in Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal. A true experimental study was conducted in two government basic schools in Pokhara Metropolitan, Nepal. The study population was adolescent girls who had attended the menarche. Firstly, a pretest with the help of a self-administered questionnaire was done to find out the socio-demographic information, knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene. Next, health education sessions were conducted among the intervention group. Finally, after one month of intervention, a post-test was conducted among the intervention and non-intervention group. Data analysis was done through descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed significant improvement in the knowledge and practice level of adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene after health education intervention. Participants in the intervention group showed a significant increase in knowledge scores from 10.0% to 67.0%, while the non-intervention group remained unchanged at 7.5%. Good menstrual hygiene practices scores in the intervention group increased significantly from 22.5% to 67.0%, whereas the non-intervention group saw a slight rise from 20.0% to 22.5%. Regarding observed practice scores in menstrual hygiene, significant improvement was observed in the intervention group (45.0% to 100.0%) in contrast to the non-intervention group (25.0% to 27.5%). This study highlights the crucial role of school health education interventions in promoting menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive educational programs tailored to early teenage girls, addressing timing, content, and delivery methods alongside ensuring the availability of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities.

Single Leg Hop Performance After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Ready for Landing but Cleared for Take-Off?

Understanding former professional football players engagement with health promoting behaviors (physical exercise, high quality diet, and good sleep hygiene) will be helpful for developing lifestyle interventions to improve their feelings of well-being, a relatively understudied facet of health among this population. Examine associations among health-promoting behaviors and subjective outcomes related to well-being among former National Football League (NFL) players. Cross-sectional. Online or hard-copy survey. Former NFL players. Self-reported health-promoting behaviors (exercise frequency, diet quality, sleep duration and disturbance) and factors related to well-being (PROMIS ® Meaning and Purpose [MP], Self-Efficacy [SE], Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities [SRA]). Multivariable linear regression models were fit for each well-being-related factor with health-promoting behaviors as explanatory variables alongside select demographic, behavioral, and functional covariates. Models were fit for the full sample and separately for individual age groups: <30 years; 30-39 years; 40-49 years; 50-59 years; 60-69 years; and 70+ years. A total of 1,784 former NFL players (aged 52.3±16.3 years) completed the survey. Lower sleep disturbance was associated with better MP (β[standard error]=-0.196[0.024]), SE (β[standard error]=-0.185[0.024]), and SRA (β[standard error]=-0.137[0.017]) in the full sample and almost all the individual age groups. More frequent moderate-to-vigorous exercise was associated with higher MP (β[standard error]=0.068[0.025]) and SRA (β[standard error]=0.151[0.065]) in the full sample, and with better MP, SE, and SRA among select middle-aged groups (between 40-69 years old). Diet quality, resistance training exercise frequency, other wellness activity frequency, and sleep duration were not associated with well-being-related factors in the full-group and sparse significant associations were observed in individual age group models. Lower sleep disturbance and more frequent moderate-to-vigorous exercise frequency may be important targets for improving overall health and well-being among former NFL players.

Consciouness and Practice of Personal Hygiene among the High School Students of a Rural Area in Chattogram

Backround: Good health is a sign of a country's economic well-being. Personal hygiene should be maintained first and foremost for high accuracy in work, low disease suffering and disease prevention. Maintaining good hygiene is crucial because it can prevent many infectious diseases. Personal hygiene habits may have developed during childhood. Children in school are especially prone to disregarding basic personal hygiene.This study was conducted to assess the consciousness and practice of personal hygiene among the students of a rural high school in Chattogram. Materials and methods: It was a descriptive type of cross-sectionalstudy and data were collected from 314 students of Guman Mardan Pashkarhut High School in Hathazari Upazila, Chattogram from August to October 2023 by interviewer administrative questionnaire. Results: Among the respondents, most of them 141(45%) were in the age group 11-12 years. About 207 (66%) were girls and 302(96%) were Muslims. Maximum 172 (54.8%) respondents were from class VII and class 8 and 36.5% were from lower middle class. About 241(77%) heard about the term personal hygiene and maximum students, 152(63.1%) heard it from school. Most of the students 241(77%) had idea on basic requirement of personal hygiene. It was found that maximum respondents 300 (96%) know about the importance of handwashing. Among all students, 73% brush twice daily, about 307(97.77%) take shower daily in summer and 302 (96%) practiced in winter, 293 (93.31%) used a towel of their own. During tiffin time, 211(67.20%) had taken home made food. Conclusion: As most of the children neglect maintenance of personal hygiene, so their habit should be changed. It should be practiced from early childhood to lead a healthy, disease-free productive life. IAHS Medical Journal Vol 6(2), December 2023; 24-30

Health And Menstrual Hygiene Of Adolescent Girls In Vijayapura District.

One-fifth of the world's population is in their adolescent years, and in India, 20.9% of people are in this age range. Adolescent girls were unable to obtain the proper knowledge due to social prohibitions and cultural beliefs, which resulted in poor hygiene habits. Due to these behavior's, microorganisms are harbored, which raises the risk of Genito-urinary diseases. To better understand the menstrual hygiene practices of teenage girls in the Vijayapura district, a study on the subject was undertaken. The study's goal was to investigate the menstrual hygiene habits of teenage females in Vijayapura. The study's secondary data-based paper's methodology. As a result of this study, teenage girls' health instruction must focus on menstrual hygiene and health for them to continue practicing good hygiene. With increased understanding and safe menstrual practices, reproductive system infections and their consequences can be prevented.

Empowering Housewives in the Environment Training for Making Friendly Liquid Soap in Sumbersari Village

Training on making dishwashing soap for women or housewives in Sumbersari Village, Ngampel District, Kendal Regency, was chosen to be disseminated because soap is one of the main needs for maintaining good hygiene standards in everyday life, even though soap is not included in basic needs group. This training in making dishwashing soap aims to enable people in Sumbersari Village, Ngampel District, Kendal Regency, to make their own dishwashing soap to meet their daily needs, reduce people's expenses for purchasing soap which is quite expensive, and open up business opportunities as a home industry. if mass produced. This activity was carried out using the ABCD method through five stages, including identifying community strengths, asset mapping, community economic analysis, creating relationships and activity priorities, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The result of this training is to provide practical experience and increase public knowledge regarding environmentally friendly soap making. This is proven by the participants' ability to understand the process of making environmentally friendly liquid soap well and the participants' desire to apply the knowledge gained

Characterization of toxigenic genes of Bacillus cereus strains isolated from different spices sold in Algeria.

Many cooked foods are prepared with spices and dried herbs; these can be contaminated by several types of microorganisms, including aerobic spore-forming bacteria. The Bacillus cereus group is very widespread in nature and is known among the common food contaminants. They are involved in food poisoning, causing two types of syndromes, diarrheal and emetic. The aims of the present work were to determine the prevalence of toxigenic Bacillus cereus spores in spices and herbs marketed in the Laghouat area and to identify their toxigenic genes via PCR. Among the 191 samples, 14.13% were determined to be B. cereus, with concentrations ranging from 2.52 to 5.82 log cfu/g, where the highest level of contamination was observed in allspice and ginger. Moreover, entFM (100%), nhe (88.23%) and cytK (70.58%) were the most frequently identified toxin genes, whereas hbl (23.52%) was less common, and no emetic toxin-encoding gene (cesB) was found in any of the samples. Considering the results of the present study, the B. cereus microbial load and toxin gene profiles of spices show that spices have potential for public health in Algeria. In this context, it is crucial to guarantee the microbiological safety of spices by respecting good hygiene practices, eliminating bacterial spores and toxin production via sterilization and using appropriate packaging for these products.

Inhibition of diastatic yeasts by Saccharomyces killer toxins to prevent hyperattenuation during brewing.

Secondary fermentation in beer can result in undesirable consequences, such as off-flavors, increased alcohol content, hyperattenuation, gushing, and the spontaneous explosion of packaging. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus are a major contributor to such spoilage due to their production of extracellular glucoamylase enzyme encoded by the STA1 gene. Saccharomyces yeasts can naturally produce antifungal proteins named "killer" toxins that inhibit the growth of competing yeasts. Challenging diastatic yeasts with killer toxins revealed that 91% of strains are susceptible to the K1 killer toxin produced by S. cerevisiae. Screening of 192 killer yeasts identified novel K2 toxins that could inhibit all K1-resistant diastatic yeasts. Variant K2 killer toxins were more potent than the K1 and K2 toxins, inhibiting 95% of diastatic yeast strains tested. Brewing trials demonstrated that adding killer yeast during a simulated diastatic contamination event could prevent hyperattenuation. Currently, most craft breweries can only safeguard against diastatic yeast contamination by good hygiene and monitoring for the presence of diastatic yeasts. The detection of diastatic yeasts will often lead to the destruction of contaminated products and the aggressive decontamination of brewing facilities. Using killer yeasts in brewing offers an approach to safeguard against product loss and potentially remediate contaminated beer.IMPORTANCEThe rise of craft brewing means that more domestic beer in the marketplace is being produced in facilities lacking the means for pasteurization, which increases the risk of microbial spoilage. The most damaging spoilage yeasts are "diastatic" strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that cause increased fermentation (hyperattenuation), resulting in unpalatable flavors such as phenolic off-flavor, as well as over-carbonation that can cause exploding packaging. In the absence of a pasteurizer, there are no methods available that would avert the loss of beer due to contamination by diastatic yeasts. This manuscript has found that diastatic yeasts are sensitive to antifungal proteins named "killer toxins" produced by Saccharomyces yeasts, and in industrial-scale fermentation trials, killer yeasts can remediate diastatic yeast contamination. Using killer toxins to prevent diastatic contamination is a unique and innovative approach that could prevent lost revenue to yeast spoilage and save many breweries the time and cost of purchasing and installing a pasteurizer.

Assessment of Sleep Quality and Duration of Medical Students in Enugu State College of Medicine

Sleep is a physiological behaviour that occurs in all animal species forming about one – third of human life and is essential for survival. Prolonged sleep deprivation leads to severe physical impairment usually accompanied by cognitive loss and can even lead to death. Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body, characterized by relatively inhibited sensory activity and reduced interactions with surroundings, altered consciousness, reduced muscle activity and inhibition of nearly all voluntary eye muscles. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the impact of various sleep duration among students and the effect on their academic performance. Using a simple random method of sampling, questionnaires were physically distributed among medicine and surgery students of ESUT College of medicine and 265 students participated. Statistical analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) with a value of &lt;0.05 considered significant. From the analysis of the data retrieved from the questionnaire, it was observed that during a regular school week, majority of students (27.5%) obtained 6 hours of sleep, while the night prior to an examination, of students (27.9%) obtained 4 hours of sleep. Also, 68.7% of students believe that insufficient sleep has a negative impact on memory consolidation, while 31.3% believes otherwise. In conclusion from the results, the study suggests that students should be educated regarding good sleep hygiene practices as this has a positive effect on their academic performance. Keywords: Sleep Quality, Duration and Medical Students

Associations between Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior with Helminthiasis in Children

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infection is currently one of the highest prevalence neglected tropical diseases in children. Factors contributing to such case are children’s hygiene, as well as the existence of helminths in the surrounding soil. A child’s education has large influence on their behavior and attitude towards hygiene. However, previous studies showed varying results on wether hygiene affects the rate of STH infection. Therefore, this research is done to determine whether there is significant association between hygiene and STH infection in children. This observational analysis with a cross-sectional design was conducted on elementary school children by interviewing the children and obtaining fecal samples. Analysis of 197 fecal samples shows that 14.7% of the children were infected with STH and results of the interview show more children had poor knowledge about STH infection (69%). Good hygiene attitude and behavior were found in the majority of the subjects (58.9% and 81.7% respectively). The chi-square analysis performed shows no significant relation between knowledge (p=0.626), attitude (p=0.975), and behavior (p=0.376) and the incidence of STH infection. In this study, although children demonstrated poor knowledge of STH infection but had good hygiene attitudes and behaviors, there was no significant link between these factors and STH infection. This emphasizes the need for ongoing hygiene education in elementary school children.