Assessment of Post COVID-19 Lockdown Hand Washing Practices among Junior High School Boys in the Krobo Area of Ghana

Abstract

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which places emphasis on Clean Water and Sanitation. The importance of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene was highly recognized in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been decline in COVID-19 cases in Ghana resulting in the lessening in restrictions as announced by the Government. Therefore, hand washing behaviour is also slowly reducing among the people. This study seeks to assess the hand washing practices among the school adolescent boys. This study adopts cross sectional design and uses questionnaire to analyze the hand washing practices among school going boys (228) from eight schools in two districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study reveals that only half of the respondents wash their hands with soap before eating, after urinating, after playing, and after returning home and two thirds of the respondents wash their hands with soap after visiting the restroom. One-fifth of the students do not wash their hands at school for a variety of reasons including ‘it is not necessary,’ ‘laziness,’ ‘no time,’ and ‘no water or soap available to wash’. Significant variables influencing hand washing practice were age of students less than 14 years, in lower forms (form 1 and 2), living in rural areas and as well as availability of veronica buckets always at the schools. The study recommends students’ hand washing behaviour must be monitored and educated on a regular basis targeting the identified variables.