Assessment Of Factors Influencing Hygiene Behaviour Among School Children In Mereb-leke District Tigray Region Ethiopia

Background: Children are “agents of change” in pacing the behaviour and practice of their familyrnand community at large. Hygiene and sanitation in schools is important, as it allows children to learnrnabout hygiene at a receptive age, as well as having immediate and long term health benefits. Poorrnhygiene behaviour remains high risk behaviour increasingly responsible for high water and sanitationrnrelated diseases among primary school going children. Many outbreaks of gastrointestinal infectionsrnhave been associated with primary schoolsrnObjectives: assessing the factors influencing hygiene behaviour among school children.rnMethods: A school children based descriptive cross sectional study was conducted. Five Primaryrnschools was recruited from the list of primary schools with second cycle in the Woreda EducationrnOffice and a total of 528 School children were selected randomly selected from the list of everyrnschool based on the proportion to the size of grade six to eight of each school. Fifty percent ofrnstudents‟ house hold was assessed for availability of hygiene enabling facilities.rnAll questionnaires and records were checked by the data collectors and supervisors before leaving therndata collection area. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS Version 17.0 after the data has beenrnentered using Epi-Info version 3.5.3. Logistic regression employed to identify factors influencingrnhygiene behaviour via crude and adjusted odds ratio.rnResult: the study found that knowledge and awareness on water handling, and hand washing wasrnsignificantly associated to hygiene behaviour. The likelihood that the child‟s knowledge on waterrnhandling issues and hand washing matters was 2.24 times (AOR, 2.24; 95%CI 1.54, 3.26) and 1.7rntimes (AOR, 1.70; 95%CI 1.12, 2.57) likely to have positive hygiene behaviour compared to thosernwas not knowledgeable, respectively. Predictably, school children who had proper awareness on waterrnhandling matters 2 (AOR, 2.0; 95%CI 1.37, 2.90), hand washing practice 2.36(AOR, 2.36; 95%CIrn1.62, 3.45) times more likely to have positive hygiene behaviour compare to those school children notrnaware.rnBeing a member of hygiene and sanitation club, parent‟s health package status, have everrntrained on hygiene and sanitation and have ever visit model school had observed a significancerndifference in hygiene behaviour. The peer pressure measured by „what you think children are washingrntheir hands‟ was observed a difference in handwashing behaviour. This was statistically significantrnwith diseases avoidance P

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