Original Article doi.org/10.70084/mruj.0041.P141

Association between Education level and personal hygiene among displaced individuals during the Sudan war 2023-2026

Sabreen MohammedALmaki AlBahi MohammedALmaki¹, Abdalmajeed Mohammed Alhafez Abdalbagi², Esraa Ismail Mohamed Hamatalla², Haitham Abdalla Ali Ismail³, Eldaw Breima Suliman Mohamed⁴, Mohamed Mahgoub Hassan Khalifa⁵, Afnan Eldaw Breima suliman⁴, Ahmed Elnour Adam Zakaria^2,6, Osman Abdlgadir⁷, Hussain Gadelkarim Ahmed^1,8

Affiliations

¹Prof Medical Research Consultancy Center, El-Obeid, Sudan. ²El-Obeid Teaching Hospital, El-Obeid, Sudan. ³Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Kordofan, El-Obeid, Sudan. ⁴Sheikan College, El-Obeid, Sudan.⁵Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Kordofan, El-Obeid, NK, Sudan.⁶University of Health, North Kordofan branch, El-Obeid, Sudan.⁷Patients Helping Fund Organization (PHF), El-Obeid, Sudan.⁸Department of Histopathology and Cytology, FMLS, University of Khartoum, Sudan.

Cite: MohammedALmaki MA, et al. Association between Education level and personal hygiene among displaced individuals during the Sudan war 2023-2026.Medical Research Updates Journal 2026;4(1):1-9. doi.org/10.70084/mruj.0041.P141

ABSTRACT

Background: The complex interplay of physical, social, and psychological factors in refugee camps can significantly impair individuals' personal hygiene. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the association between education level and personal hygiene among displaced individuals during the Sudanese war (2023–2026). Methodology: This inquiry was a cross-sectional survey conducted in El-Obeid City, the capital of North Kordofan State, Sudan. Approximately 550 participants were randomly chosen for this study, irrespective of demographic criteria. The chosen contributions were selected from approximately 4000 displaced families. Results: Out of 550 participants, 40.2% were illiterate, 53.2% had basic education, 3.8% had university, and 2.7% had other education. Participants were asked, "Do you wash your hands with soap?" 7.6% said "No." 8.6% of 42 participants were illiterate, 6.8% had basic education, 4.8% had university degrees, and 2/15 (13.3%) were others. 36.2% said “No” to “Are handwashing tools available?” Out of 199 participants, 35.7% were illiterate, 36.9% basic, 33.3% university, and 33.3% others. Only 4% said “No” to “Do you maintain self-hygiene when sick?", with 3.6% illiterate and 4.8% basic. 31.2% said "No" to "Do you have hygiene tools available during illness?" comprising 28% illiterates, 33.4% basic, 33.3% university, and 33.3% others. Conclusion: Academic education affects personal hygiene habits in refugee camps, but factors like community conditions, available resources, and how well educational programs work can make this relationship more complicated, as shown by the different answers about hygiene tool availability from people with various education levels.

Keywords: Personal hygiene, displaced people, refugee, war, Sudan