Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar

Unhealthy dietary habits and poor personal hygiene remain persistent challenges among primary school students. This study examined health awareness about personal hygiene and dietary habits among 431 students (267 boys, 164 girls) in grades 4–6 at five Qatari public schools. Schools were selected vi...

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Main Authors: Nasser Mansour, Aisha Alfojery
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Critical Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2505760
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author Nasser Mansour
Aisha Alfojery
author_facet Nasser Mansour
Aisha Alfojery
author_sort Nasser Mansour
collection DOAJ
description Unhealthy dietary habits and poor personal hygiene remain persistent challenges among primary school students. This study examined health awareness about personal hygiene and dietary habits among 431 students (267 boys, 164 girls) in grades 4–6 at five Qatari public schools. Schools were selected via convenience sampling, with Ministry of Education collaboration, to ensure regional representation. Students completed a validated questionnaire about hygiene behaviors and dietary habits. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multiple regression analysis. Results showed a clear link between hygiene and diet: students with better hygiene habits also had healthier eating patterns. Dietary behaviors differed by gender, but hygiene awareness was similar between boys and girls. We found misconceptions, such as misunderstandings about posture’s impact on spine health and limited awareness of disease prevention. These findings emphasize the need to integrate health and hygiene education into primary science curricula, fostering lifelong well-being.
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spelling doaj-art-da0e080ef84342c496a3d957b3da3f312025-08-20T02:25:51ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCritical Public Health0958-15961469-36822025-12-0135110.1080/09581596.2025.2505760Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in QatarNasser Mansour0Aisha Alfojery1College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, QatarAl Wukair Model School for Boys, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Doha, QatarUnhealthy dietary habits and poor personal hygiene remain persistent challenges among primary school students. This study examined health awareness about personal hygiene and dietary habits among 431 students (267 boys, 164 girls) in grades 4–6 at five Qatari public schools. Schools were selected via convenience sampling, with Ministry of Education collaboration, to ensure regional representation. Students completed a validated questionnaire about hygiene behaviors and dietary habits. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multiple regression analysis. Results showed a clear link between hygiene and diet: students with better hygiene habits also had healthier eating patterns. Dietary behaviors differed by gender, but hygiene awareness was similar between boys and girls. We found misconceptions, such as misunderstandings about posture’s impact on spine health and limited awareness of disease prevention. These findings emphasize the need to integrate health and hygiene education into primary science curricula, fostering lifelong well-being.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2505760Health educationhealth behaviorhealth promotion
spellingShingle Nasser Mansour
Aisha Alfojery
Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar
Critical Public Health
Health education
health behavior
health promotion
title Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar
title_full Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar
title_fullStr Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar
title_full_unstemmed Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar
title_short Exploring students’ health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in Qatar
title_sort exploring students health awareness of personal hygiene and dietary behaviors in primary education in qatar
topic Health education
health behavior
health promotion
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09581596.2025.2505760
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AT aishaalfojery exploringstudentshealthawarenessofpersonalhygieneanddietarybehaviorsinprimaryeducationinqatar