Abstract
Background: Personal hygiene is essential for disease prevention and overall well-being. This is particularly important among nursing students, who will become healthcare professionals and health-promotion role models. Adequate knowledge, favorable attitudes, and appropriate hygiene-related behaviors are important components of nursing education.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported hygiene-related practices among nursing students at Kabul University of Medical Sciences (KUMS).
Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2024 among first- to fourth-year male nursing students at KUMS. A census sampling approach was used to invite all 120 eligible students. Of these, 115 completed questionnaires were included in the final analysis. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to summarize participant characteristics and individual knowledge, attitude, and practice responses.
Results: All 115 participants were male (100%). A high proportion of students reported knowledge of the role of tooth brushing in preventing dental problems (97.4%), appropriate timing of handwashing (96.5%), and prevention of disease transmission through handwashing with soap (96.5%). Lower proportions reported knowledge regarding available vaccines for contagious diseases (59.1%) and the use of hand sanitizers (78.3%). Favorable responses were commonly reported regarding the role of personal hygiene in reducing the burden on the healthcare system (97.4%), the role of media in promoting hygiene awareness (96.5%), and the importance of personal hygiene in disease prevention (95.7%). Regarding self-reported practices, 92.2% reported reminding others when observing unhygienic behavior, 87.0% reported prioritizing hygiene in daily life, and 82.6% reported educating others about personal hygiene.
Conclusion: Students reported favorable responses across several knowledge and attitude items and generally positive self-reported hygiene-related practices. However, lower responses in specific areas, particularly knowledge regarding vaccines for contagious diseases, highlight opportunities to strengthen preventive-health and hygiene education within the nursing curriculum.
Keywords: Personal Hygiene; Knowledge; Attitudes; Practices; Nursing Students; Afghanistan
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Copyright (c) 2026 Abdul Bayes Sadid, Enayatullah Enayat, Rohullah Sakhi, Habibullah Bahrami, Abdul Salim Alamiyan, Mohammad Homayun Tawhid (Author)