EFFECTS OF HEALTH EDUCATION ON KNOWLEDGE OF PERSONAL HYGIENE PRACTICES AMONG PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN BAYELSA STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate effects of health education on knowledge of personal hygiene practices among public senior secondary school students in Bayelsa State Nigeria. The study adopted a pre-test – post-test design. The population of the study consisted of public senior secondary school students in Bayelsa State. The sample size of 347 was gotten using descriptive study formula for pretest-posttest design for a large population. The instrument for data collation was a validated structured interviewer-administered questionnaire, analyzed using mean, standard deviation and ANCOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The result the study, ANCOVA showed that health education had a significant effect on knowledge of hand hygiene [F(1,215) = 17.14, p<0.05], knowledge of oral hygiene [F(1,215) = 3.18, p<0.05], knowledge of cloth hygiene [F(1,215) = 7.48, p<0.05], knowledge of body hygiene [F(1,215) = 8.00, p<0.05]. It was concluded that health education had a significant effect on the knowledge of hygiene practices ranging from hand hygiene, oral hygiene, cloth hygiene and body hygiene among public senior secondary school students in Bayelsa State. The study recommended amongst others that the Government through the relevant boards and agencies should review and include the subject of personal hygiene in the curriculum for secondary schools in Bayelsa State and that teachers should be specially trained and equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle the subject of personal hygiene when included in the school curriculum. Keywords: Health Education, Knowledge, Personal Hygiene Paper Type: Research paper