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Hand washing among school children in Bogotá, Colombia

Author

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  • Lopez-Quintero, C.
  • Freeman, P.
  • Neumark, Y.

Abstract

Objectives. We assessed hand-washing behaviors and intentions among school children in Bogotá, Colombia, to help identify and overcome barriers to proper hygiene practices. Methods. Data on hand-washing behavior and intentions and individual and contextual factors were collected from 2042 sixth- through eighth-grade students in 25 schools in Bogotá via anonymous questionnaires. A member of the school administration or teaching staff completed a questionnaire about the school environment. Site inspections of bathroom facilities were conducted. Results. Only 33.6% of the sample reported always or very often washing hands with soap and clean water before eating and after using the toilet. About 7% of students reported regular access to soap and clean water at school. A high level of perceived control was the strongest predictor of positive hand-washing intentions (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=6.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=4.8, 7.5). Students with proper hand-washing behavior were less likely to report previous-month gastrointestinal symptoms (OR=0.8; 95% CI=0.6, 0.9) or previous-year school absenteeism (OR=0.7; 95% CI=0.6, 0.9). Conclusions. Scarcity of adequate facilities in most schools in Bogotá prevents children from adopting proper hygienic behavior and thwarts health promotion efforts. The current renovation program of public schools in Bogotá provides a unique opportunity to meet the challenges of providing a supportive environment for adoption of healthy behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Lopez-Quintero, C. & Freeman, P. & Neumark, Y., 2009. "Hand washing among school children in Bogotá, Colombia," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(1), pages 94-101.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2007.129759_6
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.129759
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    Cited by:

    1. Mukherjee, Sacchidananda, 2020. "Factors influencing access to basic handwashing facilities in developing countries," MPRA Paper 99607, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba & Chinwe Victoria Ogunji & Rowland Chukwuemeka Uwakwe & Esther Ihuoma David, 2019. "Handwashing Practices Among Children in Public Schools in Imo State, Nigeria," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(14), pages 1-15, December.
    3. P. Hynds & H. Murphy & I. Kelly & U. Fallon, 2014. "Groundwater Protection, Risk Awareness, Knowledge Transfer and Public Health: The Role of “Future Custodians”," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 28(14), pages 5199-5215, November.
    4. Christian Jasper & Thanh-Tam Le & Jamie Bartram, 2012. "Water and Sanitation in Schools: A Systematic Review of the Health and Educational Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-16, August.
    5. Dominika Guzek & Dominika Skolmowska & Dominika Głąbska, 2020. "Analysis of Gender-Dependent Personal Protective Behaviors in a National Sample: Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-22, August.
    6. Celia McMichael, 2019. "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools in Low-Income Countries: A Review of Evidence of Impact," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-21, January.
    7. Khalid M. Khan & Rishika Chakraborty & Stephen Brown & Rasheda Sultana & Alec Colon & Devinder Toor & Pooja Upreti & Banalata Sen, 2021. "Association between Handwashing Behavior and Infectious Diseases among Low-Income Community Children in Urban New Delhi, India: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    8. Santosh Jatrana & Md. Mehedi Hasan & Abdullah A. Mamun & Yaqoot Fatima, 2021. "Global Variation in Hand Hygiene Practices Among Adolescents: The Role of Family and School-Level Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-14, May.
    9. Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong & Samuel Newton & Muriel J. Harris & Gabriel Gulis, 2020. "Effect of a theory-based hand hygiene educational intervention for enhancing behavioural outcomes in Ghanaian schools: a cluster-randomised controlled trial," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(1), pages 99-109, January.
    10. Francisco González-Gómez & Enrique Lluch-Frechina & Jorge Guardiola, 2013. "Water Habits and Hygiene Education to Prevent Diarrhoeal Diseases: The Zambezi River Basin in Mozambique," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 25(4), pages 563-572.
    11. Egbinola Christiana Ndidi & Amanambu Amobichukwu Chukwudi, 2015. "Water supply, sanitation and hygiene education in secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria," Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, Sciendo, vol. 29(29), pages 31-46, September.
    12. Ammar Yasir & Xiaojian Hu & Munir Ahmad & Abdul Rauf & Jingwen Shi & Saba Ali Nasir, 2020. "Modeling Impact of Word of Mouth and E-Government on Online Social Presence during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Multi-Mediation Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-21, April.

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