Health and Hygiene Habits in High School and College Students after the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of personal hygiene and the disinfection of objects and surfaces. This study aimed to investigate daily health habits and hygiene practices, comparing these aspects between high school and undergraduate students six months after the peak of the pandemic. The research was conducted over a two-month period and involved students from both educational levels, who responded to a 25-question survey related to hygiene, healthy practices, and knowledge about COVID-19. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (p<0.05), with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26.0. The results indicated that high school students showed a lower frequency of hand washing after using the restroom (p=0.003), while university students reported less regularity in sanitizing groceries from the supermarket (p=0.01), with no differences observed in other analyzed variables. It was concluded that undergraduate students engage more in daily hygiene practices but pay less attention to disinfecting objects, whereas high school students specifically prioritize cleaning supermarket-purchased products.
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