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Background: Body mass index (BMI) is the most frequently used method to determine the nutritional status in adolescents. School-going population in developing countries like India are susceptible to undernutrition due to several socioeconomic, demographic, and nutritional factors. Poor dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles and improper hygiene can have a deleterious effect on their BMI. Methods: The aim of the study was to determine any association of BMI with physical health, nutrition, and personal hygiene among the school-going adolescents near Patna, Bihar. Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 school-going adolescents, chosen by stratified random sampling. They were given Indian Adolescent Health Questionnaire which had close-ended questions about physical activity, nutritional, and hygienic practices. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Pearson's correlation, independent t test, ANOVA, and Chi-Square test of proportions were done. Significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results: Only 39.4% adolescents had normal BMI, and almost half were underweight. Pearson's correlation of BMI with age showed a weak positive correlation (r = 0.124, P = 0.118). Participants perceiving themselves overweight, did physical exercise to lose weight (P < 0.001), whereas who stated that they rarely consumed cooked vegetables, had the self-perception of being underweight (P = 0.009). This self-perception of their weight, physical activity, handwashing after using toilet/latrine and weekly frequency of brushing teeth significantly predicted the BMI in these adolescents (F = 10.895, df (4,155), P < 0.001, R2 = 21.9%, Adj. R2 = 19.9%). Conclusion: Malnutrition can lead to infection, impaired reproductive health, anaemia and other long-term morbidities into adulthood. Hence there is need of more objective nutritional assessment in adolescence for prevention of disease burden in the community.

Background: Healthcare professionals are particularly more vulnerable to Covid-19 pandemic infection, since they are on the front lines. The relatively high morbidity and mortality among healthcare workers all over the world because of Covid-19 is a major cause of concern. Objectives: To explore the awareness of the healthcare workers in primary care settings regarding COVID-19 as well as the role of personnel protective equipment (PPE) as protective measures and to discover any defects for further intervention. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study design was carried out in the Al-Baha Region, Southwest of Saudi Arabia. It included a representative random sample of healthcare workers working at primary health care (PHC) centers belonging to the Ministry of Health. A self-administered valid questionnaire was utilized in the present study, which included three main parts: demographic data of the healthcare workers; questions to assess their knowledge about the current COVID-19 pandemic (four multiple choice questions); and questions to assess knowledge about personal protective measures and hand hygiene (ten questions). Results: The study included 451 participants. The age of more than half of the participants (51.7%) ranged between 31 and 45 years. Females represented 53.2% of them. Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists represented 36.1%, 24.2%, and 23.3% of the participants, respectively. History of attending infection control training activity in the previous 12 months was reported by 38.1% of the participants. Overall, 74.5% and 19.1% of the participants expressed a poor level of knowledge regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic and PPE/personal hygiene, respectively. Older healthcare workers (HCWs) (> 45 years), non-Saudi nationals, dentists, moderately experienced healthcare workers (6–10 years), and those who attended infection control training courses were more knowledgeable about the current COVID-19 pandemic and its self-protective measures compared to others. Conclusion: Most of the primary healthcare staff in the Al-Baha Region expressed a poor level of knowledge about the current COVID-19 pandemic and a moderate level regarding PPE and personal hygiene. Some indicators for poor knowledge were identified.

Background: Personal hygiene plays a major role to promote healthy life. This study was performed to assess the current level of knowledge and practicing behavior in regard to hand washing, bathing, tooth brushing, and taking care of nail and hair. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 800 students of Lucknow district. All the students were interviewed with a structured questionnaire (pretest). A visual display of good and bad personal hygiene was shown on projector and explained the benefits of good personal hygiene behavior. Again, structured questionnaire was given (posttest). Results: Most of the students belonged to the 10–12 years age group. The knowledge of the students regarding general body cleanliness was 87.5% in posttest as compared to 53.8% in pretest. Keeping the hair well-trimmed was considered as a part of personal hygiene by 38.0% of students. Knowledge about eating less food in diarrhea was positive in 80% of students. Only 12.5% of students accepted that diarrhea can kill children (pretest) while 100% (posttest) children were aware of this fact. Practice regarding change of clothes was on alternate day in 79.5% of students. Most of the students were found washing their hair once a week (72.5%) and 70% students were washing hands before meal. Conclusion: Overall trend of knowledge and practice about personal hygiene was in poor condition among students at the time of pretest. Posttest results were highly satisfactory.

Context: In India, children of upper primary school receive less attention from health-care providers. The majority of their health problems are preventable through hygienic practices. Aims: The aim of this study was to find out the association of personal hygiene with common morbidities among upper primary school children. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study conducted in a rural upper primary school of Odisha. Subjects and Methods: A semi-structured schedule based on the Global School Health Survey Questionnaire and necessary instruments for clinical examination were used. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2007 and analyzed by SPSS version 20 software. Results: Of 90 participants, 58 (64.4%) were girls. The mean age was 11.8 (±1.01) years. The mean body mass index of females was significantly higher than males (16.95 vs. 14.72; P = 0.001). More than 90% of children maintained good personal hygiene such as clean tongue, clean hair, handwashing, and using footwear. The most common morbidities found were dental caries (38.9%), history of worms in stool and lethargy (20%). A mean score of 6.14 ± 0.11 (out of 8) was seen for personal hygiene and not associated with any particular morbidity or gender. Brushing daily was significantly associated with reduced dental caries (χ2 = 8.7; P < 0.005) and foul-smelling breath (χ2 = 4.93; P < 0.05). Fungal infections were significantly less in children who bathed daily (χ2 = 28.7;

Introduction: School health is an important intervention as a great deal of research tells us that schools can have a major effect on children′s health, by teaching them about health and promoting healthy behaviors. Aims: The aim of this study is to determine common health problems and assess personal hygiene status among primary school children. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in academic years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, with three health check-up camps organized in private primary school of Pune city. Materials and Methods: A total of 450 students were assessed for health problems and composite score of personal hygiene status was calculated ranging from 0 to 5 by examination of hairs, nails, skin and clothes. Statistical Analysis Used: Proportions calculated with application of Chi-square test and Pearson co-efficient applied to observe the relation between two quantitative variables. Results: Out of 450 students examined, 56.2% were boys and 43.8% were girls with age ranging from 5 to 10 years. The major morbidities observed were dental caries (65.1%), upper respiratory tract infections (38.2%), ear wax (29.9%) and myopia (10.0%). Mean hygiene score was significantly higher in girls (4.32) than boys (3.95) and poor hygiene observed in older boys. Conclusion: Increasing myopia and poor dental hygiene denotes a changing morbidity pattern in private primary school of the urban area. The hygiene status of the girls is significantly better than boys.

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is the most frequently used method to determine the nutritional status in adolescents. School-going population in developing countries like India are susceptible to undernutrition due to several socioeconomic, demographic, and nutritional factors. Poor dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles and improper hygiene can have a deleterious effect on their BMI., Methods: The aim of the study was to determine any association of BMI with physical health, nutrition, and personal hygiene among the school-going adolescents near Patna, Bihar. Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 school-going adolescents, chosen by stratified random sampling. They were given Indian Adolescent Health Questionnaire which had close-ended questions about physical activity, nutritional, and hygienic practices. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. Pearson's correlation, independent t test, ANOVA, and Chi-Square test of proportions were done. Significance level was set at P < 0.05., Results: Only 39.4% adolescents had normal BMI, and almost half were underweight. Pearson's correlation of BMI with age showed a weak positive correlation ( r = 0.124, P = 0.118). Participants perceiving themselves overweight, did physical exercise to lose weight ( P < 0.001), whereas who stated that they rarely consumed cooked vegetables, had the self-perception of being underweight ( P = 0.009). This self-perception of their weight, physical activity, handwashing after using toilet/latrine and weekly frequency of brushing teeth significantly predicted the BMI in these adolescents ( F = 10.895, df (4,155), P < 0.001, R 2 = 21.9%, Adj. R 2 = 19.9%)., Conclusion: Malnutrition can lead to infection, impaired reproductive health, anaemia and other long-term morbidities into adulthood. Hence there is need of more objective nutritional assessment in adolescence for prevention of disease burden in the community., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: Healthcare professionals are particularly more vulnerable to Covid-19 pandemic infection, since they are on the front lines. The relatively high morbidity and mortality among healthcare workers all over the world because of Covid-19 is a major cause of concern., Objectives: To explore the awareness of the healthcare workers in primary care settings regarding COVID-19 as well as the role of personnel protective equipment (PPE) as protective measures and to discover any defects for further intervention., Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study design was carried out in the Al-Baha Region, Southwest of Saudi Arabia. It included a representative random sample of healthcare workers working at primary health care (PHC) centers belonging to the Ministry of Health. A self-administered valid questionnaire was utilized in the present study, which included three main parts: demographic data of the healthcare workers; questions to assess their knowledge about the current COVID-19 pandemic (four multiple choice questions); and questions to assess knowledge about personal protective measures and hand hygiene (ten questions)., Results: The study included 451 participants. The age of more than half of the participants (51.7%) ranged between 31 and 45 years. Females represented 53.2% of them. Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists represented 36.1%, 24.2%, and 23.3% of the participants, respectively. History of attending infection control training activity in the previous 12 months was reported by 38.1% of the participants. Overall, 74.5% and 19.1% of the participants expressed a poor level of knowledge regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic and PPE/personal hygiene, respectively. Older healthcare workers (HCWs) (> 45 years), non-Saudi nationals, dentists, moderately experienced healthcare workers (6-10 years), and those who attended infection control training courses were more knowledgeable about the current COVID-19 pandemic and its self-protective measures compared to others., Conclusion: Most of the primary healthcare staff in the Al-Baha Region expressed a poor level of knowledge about the current COVID-19 pandemic and a moderate level regarding PPE and personal hygiene. Some indicators for poor knowledge were identified., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Context: In India, children of upper primary school receive less attention from health-care providers. The majority of their health problems are preventable through hygienic practices., Aims: The aim of this study was to find out the association of personal hygiene with common morbidities among upper primary school children., Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study conducted in a rural upper primary school of Odisha., Subjects and Methods: A semi-structured schedule based on the Global School Health Survey Questionnaire and necessary instruments for clinical examination were used., Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2007 and analyzed by SPSS version 20 software., Results: Of 90 participants, 58 (64.4%) were girls. The mean age was 11.8 (±1.01) years. The mean body mass index of females was significantly higher than males (16.95 vs. 14.72; P = 0.001). More than 90% of children maintained good personal hygiene such as clean tongue, clean hair, handwashing, and using footwear. The most common morbidities found were dental caries (38.9%), history of worms in stool and lethargy (20%). A mean score of 6.14 ± 0.11 (out of 8) was seen for personal hygiene and not associated with any particular morbidity or gender. Brushing daily was significantly associated with reduced dental caries (χ 2 = 8.7; P < 0.005) and foul-smelling breath (χ 2 = 4.93; P < 0.05). Fungal infections were significantly less in children who bathed daily (χ 2 = 28.7; <0.005) and wore clean clothes (χ 2 = 5.06; P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Dental caries, foul-smelling breath, and fungal infections were significantly associated with poor personal hygiene. School health services should also focus on upper primary school children for improvement of personal hygiene., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Personal hygiene plays a major role to promote healthy life. This study was performed to assess the current level of knowledge and practicing behavior in regard to hand washing, bathing, tooth brushing, and taking care of nail and hair., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 800 students of Lucknow district. All the students were interviewed with a structured questionnaire (pretest). A visual display of good and bad personal hygiene was shown on projector and explained the benefits of good personal hygiene behavior. Again, structured questionnaire was given (posttest)., Results: Most of the students belonged to the 10-12 years age group. The knowledge of the students regarding general body cleanliness was 87.5% in posttest as compared to 53.8% in pretest. Keeping the hair well-trimmed was considered as a part of personal hygiene by 38.0% of students. Knowledge about eating less food in diarrhea was positive in 80% of students. Only 12.5% of students accepted that diarrhea can kill children (pretest) while 100% (posttest) children were aware of this fact. Practice regarding change of clothes was on alternate day in 79.5% of students. Most of the students were found washing their hair once a week (72.5%) and 70% students were washing hands before meal., Conclusion: Overall trend of knowledge and practice about personal hygiene was in poor condition among students at the time of pretest. Posttest results were highly satisfactory., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Introduction: School health is an important intervention as a great deal of research tells us that schools can have a major effect on children's health, by teaching them about health and promoting healthy behaviors., Aims: The aim of this study is to determine common health problems and assess personal hygiene status among primary school children., Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in academic years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, with three health check-up camps organized in private primary school of Pune city., Materials and Methods: A total of 450 students were assessed for health problems and composite score of personal hygiene status was calculated ranging from 0 to 5 by examination of hairs, nails, skin and clothes., Statistical Analysis Used: Proportions calculated with application of Chi-square test and Pearson co-efficient applied to observe the relation between two quantitative variables., Results: Out of 450 students examined, 56.2% were boys and 43.8% were girls with age ranging from 5 to 10 years. The major morbidities observed were dental caries (65.1%), upper respiratory tract infections (38.2%), ear wax (29.9%) and myopia (10.0%). Mean hygiene score was significantly higher in girls (4.32) than boys (3.95) and poor hygiene observed in older boys., Conclusion: Increasing myopia and poor dental hygiene denotes a changing morbidity pattern in private primary school of the urban area. The hygiene status of the girls is significantly better than boys.