Hygiene behaviour and health attitudes in African countries
SOURCE: Current Opinion in Psychiatry
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2012
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Pengpid, K.Peltzer
KEYWORDS: AFRICA, HEALTH, HYGIENE
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 7094
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/3535
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/3535
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2012
TITLE AUTHOR(S): S.Pengpid, K.Peltzer
KEYWORDS: AFRICA, HEALTH, HYGIENE
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 7094
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/3535
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/3535
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
In African countries, the biggest killers of young children are respiratory infections and diarrhoeal disease, and both are preventable via hand washing. Regular tooth brushing, at least twice a day, is one of the most effective methods for the control and prevention of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Both these oral diseases are infectious diseases (caused by bacteria) and thus can be controlled by proper oral hygiene. This review aims to provide updated research related to hygiene behaviours in African countries in three areas: children, community and healthcare setting. Suboptimal hygiene knowledge and behaviour (hand washing, hand washing with soap and oral hygiene) were found among African children, contributing to diarrhoeal diseases, helminth infections, dental caries, periodontal diseases and other communicable diseases. Several promising intervention studies have been done to increase hygiene behaviours among children and adolescents and may need to be scaled up. Community studies found faecal contamination on hands to be common and to be associated with various ill-health conditions. Several innovative interventions to improve hand hygiene behaviours in the community setting show promising results. Healthcare-associated infections due to lack of hand hygiene are common in Africa and interventions need to be developed and implemented. Hand and oral hygiene are suboptimal in both community and healthcare settings. Several promising hygiene intervention strategies have been found effective and may be scaled up in African countries.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Hygiene behaviour and associated factors among in-school adolescents in nine African countries
- Hygiene and health: wash priorities in today's South Africa: research findings from schools and communities in poor communities
- Positive prevention: process of adapting healthy relationships to African context
- Strengthening international health co-operation in Africa through the regional economic communities
- Health behavior and protective factors among school children in four African countries
- Fruits and vegetables consumption and associated factors among in-school adolescents in seven African countries
- Recommendations for improving mental healthcare systems in Africa: lessons from Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and Zambia
- Enhancing research capacity in Africa: a SWOT analysis of the International Doctorate in Global Health
- Preventing a tobacco epidemic in Africa: a call for effective action to support health, social, and economic development
- Analysis of non-communicable diseases prevention policies in Africa (ANPPA): South African country case study
- Drinking and driving among university students in 22 low, middle income and emerging economy countries
- Understanding and acting on the developmental origins of health and disease in Africa would improve health across generations
- Parental involvement and health risk behaviours among school-going adolescents in six African countries
- Nelson Mandela/HSRC study of HIV/AIDS: South African national HIV prevalence, behavioural risks and mass media: household survey 2002
- Book review: Goetz, A.M., Hassim, S. (eds.) (2003). No shortcuts to power: African women in politics and policy making. Cape Town: Zed Books. 246 p. ISBN 1842771477
- Democracy in Africa: moving beyond a difficult legacy
- Book review: Legum, C. (2001) Africa since independence. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.105pp. & Abrahamsen, R. Disciplining democracy: development discourse and good governance in Africa. London: Zed Books. 168pp. & Salih, M. (2001) African democracies and African politics. London: Pluto Press. 234pp
- HIV/AIDS in South Africa: entitlement and rights to health-implications of the 2002 household survey
- Fragments of democracy: nationalism, development and the state in Africa
- Educational research in the African development context: rediscovery, reconstruction and prospects