THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL HYGIENE IN SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN

Abstract

Personal hygiene is a cornerstone of public health, especially for school-age children who are in critical stages of growth and learning. Inadequate hygiene practices contribute significantly to the global burden of childhood disease. It is estimated that 1.4 million people, including nearly 400,000 children under five, die each year from preventable illnesses attributable to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).These include diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections, parasitic infestations, and malnutrition linked to undernutrition. School-age children, though older than five, remain highly susceptible to these hygiene-related illnesses and serve as vectors of infection in both schools and communities due to their close contact and social interaction patterns [1]. Globally, hygiene deficiencies in school settings are a serious concern: nearly 818 million children (43%) lacked a basic handwashing service at their school as of 2019, and over 462 million (25%) had no hygiene facilities at all. Such gaps not only lead to higher infection rates but also undermine educational outcomes, as illnesses and discomfort from poor hygiene can result in absenteeism and impaired academic performance [2].

From a global public health perspective, improving personal hygiene in children is a high-impact, cost-effective intervention. Simple acts like handwashing with soap can save lives and reduce illness by interrupting the transmission of pathogens​. Indeed, unsafe hand hygiene alone is estimated to be responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths from diarrheal disease and acute respiratory infections each year [3]​. The COVID-19 pandemic further underscored the vital role of hand hygiene; it became a central pillar of infection prevention and highlighted as a “no-regrets” investment for health resilience​. Moreover, instilling good hygiene habits in children has long-term benefits: children who learn proper hygiene early are more likely to carry these healthy behaviors into adulthood, positively influencing community health and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3 on health and SDG 6 on water and sanitation). In summary, personal hygiene in school-age children is not only crucial for protecting each child’s health and development, but is also an essential component of global disease prevention efforts and public health promotion [4].