Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Behaviours, and the Oral Health Status of School- Going Adolescent Boys and Young Men in Kampala, Uganda

Background Universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services is an essential component of keeping young people in school. However, much of the focus has been directed towards meeting the sanitation and hygiene needs of school-going adolescent girls and young women with limited attention to their male school-going counterparts. We determined the oral health status and good hand hygiene practices and the factors associated with good hand hygiene practices among adolescent boys and young men (ABYM) in Kampala, Uganda. Materials and methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,869 school-going ABYM, who were randomly selected at household level from the five administrative divisions of Kampala, Uganda. A modified Poisson regression model was used to establish the factors associated with good hand hygiene practices (i.e. defined as always washing hands before eating and after visiting the latrine or toilet) among ABYM in Kampala. Results Overall, 81.4% (1,522/1,869) of the respondents had access to a drinking water source at their school. Nonetheless, 56.9% (1,064/1,869) carried water from home to drink while at school. Nearly all (98.9%, 1,849/1,869) respondents attended in schools that had sex-separated toilets/latrines; 95.6% (1,787/1,869) had safe toilets, while 97.0% (1,813/1,869) had latrines/toilets that provided for privacy. Only 42.5% (794/1,869) exhibited good hand hygiene practices. Good hand hygiene practices were associated with age 18-24 years (adjusted Prevalence Ratio [aPR] = 0.63; 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI]: 0.50, 0.78) and studying from a school with both handwashing and sanitary facilities (aPR=2.67; 95% CI: 1.84, 3.85). Slightly more than a quarter (26.4%, 495/1,869) of the respondents had at least one cavity in their teeth, 18.7% (349/1,869) had difficulty biting hard foods, 13.3% (248/1,869) had difficulty chewing, 6.0% (113/1,869) avoided laughing because of the appearance of their teeth and 16.1% (301/1,869) missed school in the last 12 months due to a toothache. Conclusion Our study revealed that the majority of the ABYM had access to basic drinking water and sanitation facilities while at school. However, their hand hygiene and oral health practices were sub-optimal. Our findings suggest a need for school authorities to intensify hygiene and oral health education in educational settings.