Effect of Education and Social Factors on Hygiene and Prevention Behavior of Women in Ghana

Abstract

Women’s hygiene and prevention behavior was analyzed using the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) couple’s dataset. Effects of education, residence, lineage, self-determination and social support networks were examined. Results revealed a consistent positive educational effect on hygiene and prevention behaviors. Urban living provided consistent positive results for hygiene and malaria prevention but did not significantly improve responsible sexual behavior. There were mixed results for matriliny. There was evidence that the self determination and social support variables added explanatory power in the models. For malaria prevention, these variables added explanatory power but did not mediate any effects of education, residence, or lineage. With hygiene behavior the, self determination and support network variables explained additional variance and mediated some of the effects of the demographic variables.