Personal Health and Etiquette
Senior 1 · Home Science
Personal Health and Etiquette
Lesson 1 of 5
22 min
Between the ages of about 10 and 15 your body changes quickly. Sweat glands become more active, the skin makes more oil, hair grows in new places and girls begin to have periods. These changes are normal, but they mean that the routine that kept you clean as a young child is no longer enough.
Personal hygiene protects your health, and it also affects the people around you. In a boarding-school dormitory where 40 students sleep in one room, one person's head lice or scabies can soon spread to everyone. Good hygiene also gives you confidence: you can sit close to classmates, speak up in class and meet visitors without worrying about how you smell or look.
Personal hygiene means the daily habits you use to keep your own body, and the clothes you wear, clean and healthy. Its importance can be grouped under four headings:
| Part | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | Wash all over with soap and clean water every day, and again after sport or heavy work. Dry well, especially between the toes and in skin folds. | Removes sweat, oil, dead skin and germs. Damp skin folds let fungal infections grow. |
| Hair | Wash at least once or twice a week and comb or brush it every day. Never share combs, brushes or hats. | Head lice and ringworm of the scalp spread through shared combs and hats. |
| Teeth and mouth | Brush twice a day, after breakfast and before bed, for about two minutes, with a fluoride toothpaste. Clean between the teeth. Replace a toothbrush when its bristles spread out. | Bacteria in plaque, a sticky film on the teeth, turn sugar into acid that dissolves the tooth. Plaque left near the gums makes them red, swollen and bleeding. |
| Hands and nails | Wash hands with soap at the critical times. Keep nails short and clean; cut toenails straight across. | Germs and worm eggs hide under long nails. Toenails cut into a curve can grow into the skin. |
| Feet | Wash and dry them daily, wear clean socks, and wear shoes outdoors. | Athlete's foot grows between damp toes; hookworm larvae in soil and jiggers enter through bare feet. |
| Eyes, ears and nose | Wash your face morning and evening. Never push sticks, pins or matches into your ears. Blow your nose into a tissue or handkerchief, and cough or sneeze into your elbow. | Objects can damage the eardrum. Covering coughs stops colds and flu spreading. |
| Clothes | Change underwear and socks every day. Wash uniforms regularly, dry them in the sun and iron them. | Sweat and germs collect in clothes. Sunlight and a hot iron help to kill germs and lice eggs hidden in seams. |
Fresh sweat has almost no smell. At puberty, special sweat glands in the armpits and groin become active. Bacteria living on the skin feed on what these glands produce and break it down into strong-smelling substances. So the cure for body odour is not perfume: it is washing these areas every day with soap, wearing clean, dry clothes, and, if you wish, using a deodorant.
Keza is a boarder. Before a 12-week term she lists what she needs. The prices are examples from a local shop; check the prices near you.
| Item | Price | How long one lasts | Number for 12 weeks | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bathing soap | 600 Frw | 2 weeks | 12 ÷ 2 = 6 | 3,600 Frw |
| Toothpaste | 1,200 Frw | 6 weeks | 12 ÷ 6 = 2 | 2,400 Frw |
| Toothbrush | 500 Frw | about 3 months | 1 | 500 Frw |
| Laundry soap | 800 Frw | 3 weeks | 12 ÷ 3 = 4 | 3,200 Frw |
| Sanitary pads | 1,500 Frw | 1 month | 3 | 4,500 Frw |
Total: 3,600 + 2,400 + 500 + 3,200 + 4,500 = 14,200 Frw.
Check the plan. Every part of the body in the table above is covered: soap for skin and hair, toothpaste and a brush for teeth, laundry soap for clothes, pads for periods. Nothing on the list is shared with others, and each item is bought before the old one runs out.
Tip
Memory hook: wash daily, brush twice, share never. Wash your body and underwear every day, brush your teeth twice a day, and never share razors, combs, towels or toothbrushes. In an exam, give the practice AND the reason: a mark is usually given for each.
Mugisha plays football every afternoon and bathes only at the weekend. Classmates say he smells, although he says sweat has no smell. Explain who is right and what he should do.
Solution. Both are partly right. Fresh sweat has almost no smell, but bacteria on the skin break down the sweat from his armpit and groin glands into strong-smelling substances. He should wash all over with soap after sport every day and put on clean, dry clothes.
Umutoni brushes her teeth once a day for about 30 seconds and eats sweets between lessons. Suggest two changes and give a reason for each.
Solution. Brush twice a day for about two minutes with fluoride toothpaste, because this removes much more plaque and the fluoride strengthens the teeth. Eat sweets less often and only at mealtimes, because every sugary snack gives plaque bacteria sugar to turn into acid.
A tube of toothpaste costs 1,200 Frw and lasts 6 weeks. How many tubes does one person need for a year of 52 weeks, and what do they cost?
Solution. 52 ÷ 6 = 8.7 tubes. You cannot buy part of a tube and 8 tubes would run out before the year ends, so round UP to 9 tubes. Cost = 9 × 1,200 = 10,800 Frw.
Uwase dries her washed reusable pads under her mattress so that nobody sees them. What is the risk, and what should she do instead?
Solution. Under a mattress the pads stay damp and dark, so germs and mould can grow in them and cause infection. She should dry them in sunlight or in a well-aired place (she can cover them with a light cloth), and they must be completely dry before use.
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
