Original Research Article
Year: 2014 | Month: July | Volume: 1 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 53-70
Adherence to Handwashing Procedures: A Comparative Study of Male and Female Students
Olala, Gilbert Owuor
P.O. Box 7068; Kisumu, Kenya.
ABSTRACT
Many outbreaks of food borne illnesses are traced to unwashed hands. Germs that cause flu, hepatitis A and many kinds of diarrhea can be picked up and spread by hands. Laziness, forgetfulness, lack of time, and competing priorities such as academic activities limits students from participating in handwashing when it is indeed necessary. It is because of this that the study was set to compare adherence in handwashing procedures between male and female students at The Kenya Institute of Management, Kisumu, Kenya. The null hypothesis of the study was, “there is no difference in adherence to handwashing procedures between male and female students.” Descriptive and diagnostic research design was used. The target population was 390 students, which were divided into two strata, males and females from, which a representative sample of 193 was drawn through a randomization process. Data was collected by a questionnaire pretested for validity and reliability to ensure quality control. Collected data was screened and entered into SPSS version 20.0 and analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi square test. Data was presented using frequency tables, pie charts and chi square tables. Five out of six handwashing procedures studied revealed that there is no difference in adherence to handwashing procedures between male and female students. Gender was therefore not an important variable in determining adherence to handwashing procedures among students. The study will be important in expanding wellness through reduction in spread of infectious diseases. This will lead to reduction in: absenteeism from college; upper respiration illnesses; and diarrhea rate in educational institutions. Hands should be washed after visiting toilets to: prevent bacterial infection; eliminate germs that one might have come into contact with while in toilet; remove dirt; remove bad smell from hands; and adhere to recommended health requirements. Handwashing with soap and water should also be encouraged to: kill germs; soften water to make it easy to lather over hands; facilitate rubbing and friction that dislodge dirt; and leave hand smelling pleasantly. Students should be trained on values of good handwashing and consequences of not adhering to proper handwashing procedures. The college should be advised to consistently provided soap and paper towel in toilets so that hygiene may be optimally observed. If soap dispensers are empty, college should make sure they are filled. Paper towels should be kept in hygienic places in order to avoid contamination before use.
Key words: Handwashing, Students