Limited adherence to personal hygiene of school-aged children and people over 60 as a continuing challenge for health educators

Background Hygienic behavior as such belongs to health behavior, acquired at home, at school, at workplace or through the mass-media. Objective The aim of the study was to analyze the perception of personal hygiene among different age groups and the sociodemographic factors related to hygiene behavior. Material and methods The author’s questionnaire for children and seniors concerning selected hygienic behavior was used. The questionnaire was conducted in two groups: 200 primary school children in age: 8-11 years; 109 girls and 91 boys and 200 older people: young-old (60-74 years) and old-old (75+); 110 women and 90 men. Results Girls longer than boys take morning hygiene behavior, but statistically boys spend more time on evening washing, cleaning and brushing. Seniors hygienic behavior depend on age: young-old are more likely take a shower every day (51.79%) than seniors in the old-old group (29.86%). The same statistically significant difference was noticed in case of washing hands before a meal. Conclusions Children care more about personal hygiene than older people. Age, not gender, is a factor determining the frequency of hygiene practices among older people. Young-old care more about personal hygiene than old-old.