Assessment of Personal Cleanliness Practices among Older Adults in Northern Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026598Keywords:
Personal Cleanliness, Health Practices, Older Adults, Ageing, Northern NigeriaAbstract
This study assessed personal cleanliness practices among older adults in Northern Nigeria. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 5,575,179 aged persons in Northern Nigeria’s nineteen states and the Federal Capital Territory. A sample of 1,353 respondents was selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure involving stratified, simple random, proportionate, and systematic sampling techniques. A researcher-developed and validated questionnaire, the Assessment of Personal Cleanliness Practices among the Aged Population in Northern Nigeria Questionnaire (APCPAPNNQ), was used for data collection, with a reliability coefficient of 0.879 established through a pilot study. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percentages were used to describe the demographic characteristics of respondents, while mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question. The one-sample t-test was used to test the stated hypothesis at a 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed that personal cleanliness practices among older adults in Northern Nigeria are significant (t = 45.29; p = 0.000), with an aggregate mean score of 3.26 exceeding the criterion mean of 2.50. The study concluded that older adults in Northern Nigeria generally practise good personal cleanliness, although specific gaps exist in oral hygiene frequency, respiratory hygiene etiquette, and certain toilet-related practices. The study recommends sustained hygiene education programmes targeted at older adults to reinforce and improve on the existing good practices.
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