PERSONAL HYGIENE PRACTICES AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE GROUP RESIDING IN AN URBAN SLUM OF PATNA DISTRICT.

Abstract

Personal hygiene is the practice of maintaining cleanliness of the body. In India, only 59% urban and 22% rural people have access to improved sanitation facilities. Primary school days are the best time to learn healthful habits and practice them, because as the child grows older, these habits become permanent.

Material and Method: The present cross sectional study was carried out for a period of three months that is from November 2018 to February 2019, at the shashtri nagar slum near the Urban Health and Training Centre (UHTC) of IGIMS, Patna, where about 200 female were included by convienient sampling (who co-operated in our study). Study units were women of reproductive age group (18-45 years). A house to house survey was carried out two times in a week for three months and information was obtained on pre-designed and pre-tested pro-forma by interviewing the females. Verbal informed consent was taken from the respondents by explaining the purpose of the study. The questionnaire included age, socio-demographic information education and occupation of the women and about the hygienic practices. The parameters that were included in the personal habits and hygiene were frequency of bathing whether daily alternate day or occasionally.

Result: The higher percentage (60%) of the women belonged to the age group of 18-29. Around 35 % of the women were educated till class VIII. Bathing was seen as a regular habbit in around 60% of the females.

Conclusion: Women in India face constraints not only in obtaining health services, but also in expressing reproductive health needs. Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness.

Key words: Urban slum, personal hygiene, menstruation, women of reproductive age group, oral hygiene, menstrual hygiene