Assessing Health, Hygiene, and Sanitation Awareness among Rural Women at the Village Level

Abstract

Women in India face significant health challenges due to poor social position, limited autonomy, and inadequate access to healthcare and sanitation facilities, leading to physical, social, and emotional problems. Improved sanitation, hygiene practices, and awareness are crucial for addressing these issues and promoting overall well-being, particularly in rural areas. This study was conducted in the Samastipur district of Bihar to analyze the impact of awareness and adoption of health, hygiene, and sanitation practices among rural women. The district of Samastipur and the Pusa block were purposively selected. From Pusa block, two villages (Harpur and Bhuskaul) were selected randomly. Using a stratified random sampling technique, 60 respondents were selected from each village, making a total of 120 respondents from the study region. A structured interview schedule was used to collect relevant information from the respondents. The findings revealed that awareness had a statistically significant impact on health, hygiene, and sanitation practices among rural women. The Paired Samples Test yielded a value of 6.019 (p = 0.001), indicating significance at the one percent level. Furthermore, the 99 percent confidence interval, including both the lower and upper limits, confirmed the significance of the observed difference. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the level of awareness regarding health, hygiene, and sanitation was higher in Bhuskaul village than in Harpur village.