Desalegn Asnake (PhD)Abate Sifrnesh2020-12-022023-11-092020-12-022023-11-092019-09-09http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/23826Hand washing is the act of cleaning hands for the purpose of removing soil, dirt and microorganisms. Hand washing is very effective method in preventing communicable diseases. Up to 2.4 million deaths can be prevented annually by good hygiene. It is mainly important for children as they are more vulnerable to infections gained from unwashed hands. The study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude and practices of Jerusalem Primary Public School students on hand washing and identify the associated factors that affect hand washing practices. The cross-sectional study was carried out among 298 randomly selected students and four school administrators. The data was collected using structured questionnaires and observational checklists regarding knowledge, attitude and practice on hand washing and associated factors and availability of hand washing facilities in Jerusalem Primary School. From students participated in this study, overall 202 (67.79%) and 96 (32.21%) had good and poor knowledge. According to the data, knowledge of students affected by gender and fathers’ education. X2 (1, N=298)=9.375, P=0.002 and X2 (3, N=298)= 14.966, P= 0.036 respectively. Regarding the attitude of students overall 264 (88.59%) and 34 (11.41%) had good and poor attitude respectively. Regarding practices of students’ hand washing overall 141 (47.32%) and 157 (52.68%) had good and poor practice respectively. And also practices of students’ affected by gender, grade level and mothers’ education level X2 (1, N=298) =7.803, P= 0.005, X2 (1, N=298) =5.963, P=0.015 X2 (3, N= 298) =7.908, P= 0.048 respectively. There was hand washing point in the school compound at the time of the researcher observation. There is the need for effective education and availability of hand washing facilities in the school compound to improve knowledge, attitude and practices of students on hand washing.enAttitudeHand Washing/HygieneKnowledgePracticePrimary School ChildrenThesis