TABLE 1.
Sociodemographic Characteristics, Hygiene Practices, Health-Related Characteristics, and Sources of Hygiene Knowledge Among School Children (N = 1943): Bogotá, Colombia, March 2006–April 2007
| Proper Hand-Washing Behaviora |
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| Total, No. (%) | No (n = 1272), No. (%) | Yes (N = 645), No. (%) | OR (95% CI) | |
| Sociodemographics | ||||
| Aged 10–13 years | 1145 (59.0) | 753 (59.3) | 376 (58.4) | 1.0 (0.9, 1.3) |
| Boys | 1043 (53.7) | 703 (55.3) | 331 (51.3) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.3) |
| Private school | 815 (41.9) | 533 (41.9) | 277 (42.9) | 1.1 (0.9, 1.4) |
| Socioeconomic strata | ||||
| Low (Ref) | 1094 (56.4) | 691 (54.5) | 388 (60.2) | 1.0 |
| Medium | 605 (31.2) | 410 (32.3) | 184 (28.6) | 0.8 (0.6, 1.0) |
| High | 240 (12.4) | 168 (13.2) | 72 (11.2) | 0.8 (0.6, 1.0) |
| Mother's education, y | ||||
| 0–4 (Ref) | 243 (12.7) | 158 (12.7) | 81 (12.7) | 1.0 |
| 5–10 | 871 (45.7) | 583 (46.8) | 283 (44.5) | 0.9 (0.7, 1.3) |
| > 10 | 793 (41.6) | 589 (40.6) | 147 (41.5) | 1.1 (0.8, 1.4) |
| Father's education, y | ||||
| 0–4 (Ref) | 297 (16.2) | 201 (16.7) | 86 (14.2) | 1.0 |
| 5–10 | 791 (43.2) | 517 (43.0) | 265 (43.9) | 1.2 (0.9, 1.6) |
| > 10 | 742 (40.5) | 506 (40.6) | 272 (42.8) | 1.2 (0.9, 1.8) |
| Hygiene practices | ||||
| Proper hand washing | 645 (33.6) | |||
| Hand washing after toilet useb | 1592 (82.5) | |||
| Hand washing with soap after toilet useb | 1077 (57.4) | |||
| Hand washing before eatingb | 908 (46.9) | |||
| Hand washing with soap before mealsb | 676 (36.1) | |||
| Regular teeth brushing | 1164 (60.0) | 625 (49.1) | 523 (81.3) | 4.5 (3.6, 5.7) |
| Fingernail cleaning | 1293 (67.6) | 801 (64.0) | 480 (75.6) | 1.7 (1.4, 2.2) |
| Health outcomes | ||||
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | 520 (26.9) | 361 (28.5) | 151 (23.5) | 0.8 (0.6, 0.9) |
| Respiratory symptoms | 1171 (60.8) | 777 (61.6) | 381 (59.5) | 0.9 (0.8, 1.1) |
| Illness-related absenteeism | 640 (33.2) | 445 (35.3) | 185 (28.8) | 0.7 (0.6, 0.9) |
| Sources of hygiene knowledge | ||||
| Parents | 1715 (88.5) | 1096 (86.4) | 599 (93.0) | 2.1 (1.5, 3.0) |
| School | 1292 (66.7) | 854 (67.4) | 422 (65.5) | 0.9 (0.8, 1.1) |
| Mass media | 1141 (58.9) | 745 (58.8) | 377 (58.5) | 1.0 (0.8, 1.2) |
| Other characteristics | ||||
| Cares for a younger child | 587 (43.0) | 402 (44.4) | 181 (40.9) | 0.9 (0.7, 1.1) |
| Prepares food at home | 801 (58.6) | 529 (58.4) | 259 (58.3) | 1.0 (0.8, 1.3) |
Note. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.
a
Use of soap, clean water, and hand washing before eating and after using the toilet.
b
Always or very often.