Sanitation and hygiene practices of secondary school students from Mtwara town in Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the sanitation and hygiene practices of secondary school students from Mtwara town in Tanzania. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data on participants’ characteristics and responses to sanitation and hygiene practices were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Pearson's Chi-Square test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between participants’ characteristics and study variables. Of the 685 responses received, 672 (98.50%) were valid, while 13 (1.50%) were invalid due to missing information. The majority of respondents (97.02%) reported participating in environmental protection activities because it is the most effective way to manage environmental health. Some hygiene practices showed statistically significant differences based on the students' age and gender. Female students practiced sanitation and hygiene more than males, and the practices of hygiene increased as students aged. Furthermore, while 396 female students (91.45%) reported having a menstrual cycle every month, only (97.66%) knew what to do when they had their menstrual cycle. Both the female students' age and study class revealed a statistically significant difference in their knowledge of what to do when they menstruate (p=0.017 vs. p<0.001), use of cloth pads (p<0.001 vs. p<0.001) and commercial pads (p=0.017 vs. p<0.001). It is recommended that environmental health information dissemination programs be maintained in order to uphold positive sanitation and hygiene practices.        

KEYWORDS:

• Awareness and knowledge
• environmental health
• menstrual hygiene management
• water
• sanitation
• hygiene

Acknowledgments

This paper is part of the Ph.D. research of the first author. The authors would like to thank the African Union and Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute for awarding a Ph.D. scholarship, as well as the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania for granting the first author study leave.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical statement

The study was approved by the Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute (including Health and Agriculture), Nigeria, and the National Health Research Ethics Sub-Committee of the National Institute for Medical Research, Tanzania (Code: NIMR/HQ/R.8a/Vol.IX/3648) on 8 April 2021. Approval for data collection was obtained from the Director of the Mtwara Municipal Council through the District Medical Officer and the Secondary Education Officer and the Heads of the selected schools.

Informed consent

All study participants aged > 18 years provided written informed consent, while written informed consent was obtained from parents or guardians aged < 18 years. Respondent consent, risks, benefits, and comfort were complied with according to research ethics guidelines.