ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Maintaining good hygiene practices is crucial for individuals' overall health and wellbeing. This is particularly significant for undergraduate students as their academic performance can be influenced by their physical and mental well-being. Personal hygiene, cleanliness of living spaces, dietary habits, and physical activity can impact students’ susceptibility to illnesses, which, in turn, can influence their attendance, concentration, and overall performance. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of hygiene on the health and academic performance of students. The study also seeks to identify potential solutions to improve both personal and environmental hygiene in other to improve academic outcomes. METHODS: A qualitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in the halls of residence within the University of Benin, Ugbowo campus. A well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from about 400 students on toilet facilities, availability of water in their hostels, hygiene condition of the hostel and the frequency of disease occurrence. Data were analysed using SPSS version 24. RESULTS: Most of the respondents were 18-23 years, about 99.0% understood the concept of hygiene. About 73.2% were not comfortable about the hygiene level of the hostel and a substantial majority attested to have experienced frequent diarrhea (49.2%), malaria (26.0%) or typhoid fever (45.1%). Factors that contributed to poor hygiene in the hostels were also identified as mainly caused by students’ activities such as indiscriminate waste disposal 80.4%, misuse of toilet facilities (83.5%) and the habit of leaving their rooms or living space untidy (64.9%). CONCLUSION: Through this investigation, we have gained insights into the health challenges faced by students due to poor hygiene practices and the factors influencing these conditions. These findings underscore the importance of implementing hygiene education and improving sanitation conditions to enhance both the health and academic well-being of the University of Benin students. KEY WORDS: Academic performance, health impact, hygiene, students, and University of Benin.
