DOI Number: 10.5958/0976-5506.2014.00276.

9
Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. July-September 2014, Vol. 5, No. 3
67

A Study on Knowledge and Practice of Hand Washing among

Slum Children and their Mothers in Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Swati Kadam1, Sanghamitra Pati2, Abhimanyu Singh Chauhan3

PGDPHM Student, Associate Professor, 3Programme Associate, Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar
2

ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the knowledge and practice of hand washing among mothers and children of
shikharchandi slum of Bhubaneswar, Odisha and to recommend possible measures to improve the current
practices.
Methodology: Present cross-sectional study was carried out in the Shikharchandi slum located in the
Bhubaneswar city of Orissa state in India. 150 women and 80 children were interviewed. Children
questionnaire were prepared to suit to their age and according to local context. Components of sanitation
like food handling and hand washing were covered in this questionnaire.
Results: Hand washing before preparing food is being practiced by 85% of women. Of all women
interviewed, 77% wash hands before serving food. Only 15% children said soap was available in their
school to wash hands. Out of total children interviewed, 76% told that their teachers tell about sanitation and
hand washing in the class. Only 5% children told they were consulted by doctor/ health worker during last 3
months. As many as 81% children told that they wash their hands before taking food and 19% children said
they take their food without washing hands. Though most of the children told that they wash hands before
taking food, but only 17.5% told that they use soap for hand washing. Only 29% children told that their
teachers check hand washing in school. When asked about critical timing of hand washing, 44% children
told about at least two critical timings and 56% were unaware about the critical timings of hand washing.
Conclusion: Inadequate knowledge on this among our study participant is a point of concern. Systematic
integration of health and hygiene education in schools through curricular modifications could be an
appropriate strategy.
Keywords: Hygiene, Hand washing, Slum, Knowledge, Attitude

INTRODUCTION
Communicable diseases continue to be the major
contributor to global morbidity and mortality.1 Sixty two
percent and 31 % of all deaths in Africa and south-Asia,
respectively are due to infectious diseases. 2 According to
WHO estimates, 3.8 million children aged less than five
die each year from diarrhea and acute respiratory tract
infections.3 An estimated 88 percent
Corresponding author:
Sanghamitra Pati
Associate Professor
Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar
Email ID: [email protected]

of diarrheal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe

water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.4 Clean
water and hand-washing are viewed as the most cost
effective intervention for preventing diarrheal diseases. 5
Various studies have highlighted that simple act of handwashing and basic hygiene behavior could prevent
diarrhea, acute respiratory infection ad and skin
infections.6,7 Despite much evidence supporting the
effectiveness of personal hygiene behavior, they are yet to
be practiced widely. It is observed that young children and
their mother in developing countries fail to wash their
hand adequately after fecal contact.8 Magnitude of the
problem is more in urban slums with reduced access to
safe water and sanitation.

68 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. July-September 2014, Vol. 5, No. 3

Children from poorest urban are three times more

likely to die before the age of five than children from
wealthiest urban and rural areas. 9 Study conducted in
Mumbai slum shows that 30% of all morbidity can be
accounted for by water related infection. 10 Understanding
usual hand-washing is an important baseline assessment
for any programme intended to improve sanitation, hand
hygiene and water quality. However, there are limited data
that have assessed the hand hygiene behavior of children
and their mothers particularly in slums.
Keeping this in view present study was taken up to
study the knowledge attitude practices relating to handwashing of urban slum children and their mothers. The
objective of the study was to access hand-washing
behavior among the participants so as to identify and
overcome barriers to proper hand hygiene practices.

METHOD
Present cross-sectional study was carried out in the
Shikharchandi slum located in the Bhubaneswar city of
Orissa state in India. Sikharchandi slum is authorized and
the largest slum of the city with 1500 hundred household
and total population of around 6000. It was decided to
take 10% of the all households for the study purpose.
Thus a total of 150 households

were selected for the study purpose. This slum is divided

into three clusters. There are total 600 households each in
cluster one and cluster three and 300 households in cluster
two. Stratified random sampling was carried out to select
the households from each of these three clusters
proportionately. For the study 10% of households are
selected from each cluster. Total selected houses were 60
households each from cluster one and three and 30
households from cluster two. 150 women and 80 children
were interviewed. Children between age group of 6 to 12
were separately interviewed. Questionnaire was prepared
by adopting the theme of core questionnaire on sanitation
by WHO and EHP. Semi structured questionnaire was
developed which was suitable to local context. Children
questionnaire were prepared to suit to their age and
according to local context. . Components of sanitation like
food handling and hand washing were covered in this
questionnaire. This questionnaire contains both
quantitative and qualitative questions. The questionnaire
was pretested in non study area and necessary changes
were made accordingly. Data was entered in MS Excel
and analyzed using statistical software SPSS Version 17.0.
Verbal consent was taken before interview of mothers and
they were well informed about purpose of the study and
confidentiality. Verbal consent of parents was taken prior
to interview of children.

RESULTS
Table I: Demographic Characteristics of participant (Mother).
S. No.

Characteristics

Response

BPL Cards

Education

House

Household condition

Rooms in house

Caste

Language

Yes
No
Literate
Illiterate
Rent
own
Kutcha
Pakka
Less than 2
Two
More than two
SC
ST
OBC
Other
Oriya
Hindi
Telugu
Bengali

Number
54
96
80
70
53
97
83
67
45
74
31
36
10
72
32
76
19
52
3

Percentage (%)
36
64
53
47
35
65
55
45
30
49
21
24
7
48
21
51
13
34
2

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. July-September 2014, Vol. 5, No. 3 69
Table I: Demographic Characteristics of participant (Mother) (Contd.)
S. No.

Characteristics

Response

Number

Percentage (%)

Native state

Orissa

94

63

Andhra Pradesh

41

27

West Bengal

13

10

11

12

Size of family

Income(in rupees/month)

Occupation

Other states

Less than 5

91

61

6 to 9

48

32

10 and above

11

Less than 5000

33

22

5000 to 10000

86

57

Above 10000

31

21

Housewife

57

38

Skilled*

14

Unskilled**

79

53

Table II: Hand-washing Practices among women.

S. No

Characteristics

Options

Numbers (%)

Hand washing before preparing food

YesNo

128 (85)22 (15)

Hand washing before serving food

YesNo

116(17)34(23)

Hand wash with soap after toilet

YesNo

108(72)42(28)

Use of slipper

YesNo

93(62)57(38)

Hand washing with only water is as good as hand washing with water and soap

YesNo

7(4)143(96)

Table III: Hand-washing Practices among children

S. No.

Characteristics

Options

Number (%)

1.

Soap is available in school to wash hands.

YesNo

12 (15)68 (85)

2.

Teacher tells about sanitation and hand washing in class.

YesNo

61 (76)19 (24)

3.

Visited by health worker/Doctor in school during last 3 months.

YesNo

4 (5)76 (95)

Hand washing before taking food.

YesNo

65 (81)15 (19)

7
8

Use soap for hand washing before taking food.

Teacher checks hand washing in school.

YesNo
Yes No

14 (17.5)66 (82.5)
23 (29)57 (71)

Who enforce to wash hands.

Mother
Sister
Other

10

Tells at least 2 critical time of hand washing.

11

Hand washing with soap after toilet.

A total of 150 participants are selected for study, out

of which 36% are having the BPL card. Mean age of
women participant is 31 years and the range is from 17 to
55 years. Participants are comprised of all castes, 24% of
them belong to SC, 7% are from ST community, 48%
belongs to OBC and 21% belongs to other caste. Main
languages spoken in the community are Oriya, Telugu,
Hindi and Bengali. Out of all households interviewed,
55% live in kaccha house and 45% live in pakka house;
30% families lived in single room, 49% living in two
room house and 21% lived in more than

47(59)
20 (25)
18 (22)

family
members
teacher
YesNo

23 (29)

35 (44)45 (56)

YesNo

49 (61)31 (39)

two room house; 63% are from Orissa and 37% are
migrated from neighboring states like 27% are migrated
from Andhra Pradesh, 9% are migrated from West Bengal
and 2% are migrated from Bihar. Participants are grouped
as housewives and working women. Working women are
either l skilled or unskilled profession. Pre-primary
teacher, ASHA, tailor are labeled as skilled workers.
Those who are working as daily laborer, maid servant,
sari seller, vegetable seller and rag pickers are grouped as
unskilled workers. Among participants 38% are

70 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. July-September 2014, Vol. 5, No. 3

housewives, 9% are skilled workers and 53% are

unskilled workers. Twenty two percent households have
income less than 5000 rupees per month, 57% households
earn 5000 to 10000 rupees per month and remaining 21%
households have monthly income more than 10000
rupees.
Hand washing before preparing food is being
practiced by 85% of women. Still 15% reports that they
are not practicing hand washing. Of all women
interviewed, 77% wash hands before serving food. When
asked about who serves , 43% reported that mother serves
the food while in 42% families children take food
themselves and remaining 15% told other members like
grandmother, sister or aunt serves the food. When asked
about availability of soap in school, 15% children said
soap was available in their school to wash hands but for
85% students soap was not available in school to wash
hands. Out of total children interviewed, 76% told that
their teachers tell about sanitation and hand washing in
the class while 24% told that their teacher doesnt tell
about sanitation and hand washing. Only 5% children told
they were consulted by doctor/health worker during last 3
months. As many as 81% children told that they wash
their hands before taking snacks in school and 19%
children said they take their snacks without washing
hands. Though most of the children told that they wash
hands before taking snacks in school, but only 17.5% told
that they use soap for hand washing. Only 29% children
told that their teachers check hand washing in school.
When asked about critical timing of hand washing, 44%
children told about at least two critical timings and 56%
were unaware about the critical timings of hand washing.

DISCUSSION
In this study of urban slum mothers we assessed the
knowledge attitude and practices of hand hygiene. Of the
mother surveyed, seventy two percent were found to
practice hand washing by soap after defecation. This is
lower than the WHO study where they found this was
practiced by 84% women. The Lower level could be due
to non availability of soap and decreased perceived
susceptibility to diarrhea. Although, 96% of the women
were of the opinion that hand washing with water and
soap is better compared to simple hand washing, it is not
reflected in their practice. This could be explained by the
fact that women are not able to link infections like
diarrhea directly with their own hand washing behavior.

Limited knowledge appears not to be constraint in this

case. However, the translation of knowledge into
sustainable behavior needs to be reinforced. Behavioral
Intervention aimed to improve hand hygiene practices
should focus on this important issue should be taken up in
order to improve the hand hygiene practices of the
respondents. Earlier studies by Ray et al have also
highlighted similar findings. 11 In our study area 85% of
the mother use hand washing before preparation of food,
which encouraging. This differs from the study by Ray
SK in two communities of eastern India where hand
washing was not practiced before preparing food and
after handling raw vegetables. 12 Another encouraging
finding of the present study was 77 % women practicing
hand washing before serving food. These behaviors need
to be reinforced for preventing Fecal-Oral transmission of
infectious agent. Use of slippers was found to be practiced
by 62% of the mothers, which could be taken as
satisfactory, considering their socio-economic condition.
Our study additionally explored the knowledge,
attitude and practices of hygiene among school children
(6-12 years) from the same households. We attempted to
find the contextual factors contributing to hand washing
practices of the children. It included both school and
family level influencers. As many as 81% children
practiced hand washing before taking food out of which
only 17.5% use soap for hand washing. Sixty one percent
children used soap for hand washing after toilet. This
could be due to Non or limited availability of soap in both
school and household. In a similar study on hand washing
among school children in Colombia, it was observed that
only 33.6% of children were washing hands with soap
before eating and after defecation. 13 Our participants have
better hygiene practice which could be attributed to
increased awareness. There appears to be low supervision
by the teachers when compared to mothers for enforcing
hand washing. This might lead to decreased motivation
among the students for regular hand washing. Educating
teachers to inculcate hygiene behavior among the students
is of prime concern. Future school based hand hygiene
interventions should take this into account. Health
educators (physician, nurse, health worker) play an
important role in this regard. Bearing in mind that, the
school has been recognized as a vital setting for health
promotion, our findings display a strong deficit of such
initiatives. When asked about at least two critical times of
hand washing only 44% of surveyed students could
answer correctly. In a KAP study of

Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development. July-September 2014, Vol. 5, No. 3 71

hygiene in Ethiopia found that 52% of the students have

adequate knowledge of proper hygiene, which is higher
than the present study.14 Critical times of hand washing
are crucial in breaking the chain of fecal oral
contamination, a major cause of diarrheal diseases.
Inadequate knowledge on this among our study
participant is a point of concern. Systematic integration of
health and hygiene education in schools through
curricular modifications could be an appropriate strategy.
Due to the restricted time period and resource
constraint, study was conducted only in one slum and it
cannot represent the entire situation of the other slums of
the Bhubaneswar and that of entire state. So the results of
this study cannot be generalized to the other slums. So it
is suggested that more such studies should taken up to
assess sanitation status of such areas in future.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
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