[Knowledge of the hygiene habits of schoolchildren: a course of urban collaboration in health].
OBJECTIVE
To study the hygiene habits of schoolchildren in Santa Maria de Gracia (an urban site) and La Nora (a rural site), both in Murcia. This stemmed from an initiative of the Health Councils of these places, with the aim of later developing an effective project of Health Education. The Community was conceived as the main player in the Health-Illness process: passive behaviour models were thus abandoned.


METHODS
This was a transversal study of the hygiene customs of school-children from Second and Seventh Grade E.G.B. (General Basic Education: from 8 to 13) in the rural area; from Second and Fifth Grade EGB, from Second Grade BUP (Baccalaureate: from 14 to 16) and from the Second Course of Second Grade FP (Professional Formation) in the urban area. Questionnaires covered the whole of the above population. Crosses according to age, sex and the rural or urban environment were made.


METHODS
Professionals from both the Primary Care Teams, from Educational Centres, from the Department of Socio-Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine and schoolchildren interviewed.


METHODS
Using a participatory methodology, a questionnaire was designed and answered by a total of 1,182 students, belonging to 13 Educational Centres.


RESULTS
There are shortcomings open to improvement in practically all areas of hygiene habits; with important differences, in particular customs, between boys and girls, between town and country and between younger and older students.
Sánchez Moreno
A
A
Centro de Salud de Santa María de Gracia, Cátedra de Historia de la Medicina, Murcia.
Barco Fernández
V
V
Castillo Vicente
P
P
Sánchez Estévez
V
V
Cánovas Valverde
J
J
Marset Campos
P
P
D000367:Age Factors; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Conocer los hábitos higiénicos de los escolares: cauce de colaboración ciudadana en salud.