Barriers and Facilitators to Standard Sanitary Practices among Pupils in Private and Public Primary Schools in Ringim Town, Jigawa State

Abstract

Personal sanitation refers to the practice of maintaining cleanliness and proper care of different parts of the body, including the hands, teeth, ears, hair, eyes, legs, and nose, in order to promote good health and prevent diseases. Personal hygiene practices such as regular handwashing before eating and after toilet use, proper oral care, wearing clean clothes, and maintaining environmental cleanliness play a vital role in reducing the spread of communicable diseases among school children. Poor sanitary behaviors such as open defecation, inadequate handwashing, and improper waste disposal remain major public health concerns, particularly among primary school pupils in developing communities. This study examined the barriers and facilitators to standard sanitary practices among pupils in public and private primary schools in Ringim Town, Jigawa State. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. The target population comprised 13,800 pupils from selected public and private primary schools in Ringim Town. Based on recommendations for populations above 10,000, the sample size was increased from 392 to 476 to improve representativeness and account for possible attrition and non-response. Consequently, a total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to pupils using a structured sampling technique. Data were collected through questionnaires and direct observation checklists to assess sanitary practices, availability of hygiene facilities, and factors influencing hygiene behavior among pupils. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions, while inferential statistics involving t-tests were used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that although many pupils possessed basic knowledge of personal hygiene and understood the importance of sanitary practices, several barriers hindered the effective practice of hygiene, especially in public schools. Major challenges identified included inadequate water supply, poor toilet facilities, overcrowding, insufficient hygiene education, and limited access to sanitary materials. The study further showed that factors such as supportive school policies, parental involvement, availability of sanitation facilities, and regular health education served as important facilitators of proper hygiene practices among pupils. The study concluded that improving sanitation infrastructure, strengthening hygiene education programs, and promoting collaborative efforts among schools, parents, and health authorities are essential for enhancing sanitary practices and improving the health status of primary school pupils in Ringim Town, Jigawa State.