Environmental Hygiene and Sanitation in a Bangladesh National Nutrition Program Area: The Case in Bhanga Upazila

Abstract

studied to assess the mother’s knowledge and practice of selected hygienic cares in an
NNP area. Although a large number of the mothers knew at least one hygienic care,
fewer mothers knew all hygienic cares and substantial gaps existed between knowledge
and practice for most of the hygienic cares studied. Inaccessibility of facilities, high costs
and lack of knowledge and motivation were the common reasons for wrong practice.
Literate mothers were twice more likely to know and almost thrice more likely to practice
all the hygienic cares compared to the illiterate mothers. Mothers having literate
husbands were almost twice more likely to know all the hygienic cares compared to those
having illiterate husbands and mothers who knew all the hygienic cares were five times
more likely to practice them compared to those who did not know them.
Apart from increased facilities a strong information and motivation campaign aimed at
mothers would result in improved knowledge and practice of all hygiene cares realizing
the full potential of NNP.