Table 1 Socio-demographic and other characteristics of the study participants
Variable | Number (n = 1426) | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
Age (years) | ||
 < 5 | 331 | 23.2 |
 5–10 | 724 | 50.8 |
 > 10 | 371 | 26 |
Gender | ||
 Male | 881 | 61.8 |
 Female | 545 | 38.2 |
Family monthly income (in Afghanis) | ||
 < 2500 (< 30 USD) | 1285 | 90.1 |
 2500–20,000 (30–250 USD) | 107 | 7.5 |
 > 20,000 (> 250 USD) | 34 | 2.4 |
Family size | ||
 < 5 people | 330 | 23.1 |
 ≥ 5 people | 1096 | 76.9 |
Mother’s education | ||
 Primary | 35 | 2.4 |
 Secondary | 4 | 0.3 |
 Bachelor | 0 | 0 |
 Uneducated | 1387 | 97.3 |
Father’s (guardian of family) occupation | ||
 Farmer | 1161 | 81.4 |
 Jobless | 194 | 13.6 |
 Shopkeeper | 46 | 3.2 |
 Driver | 25 | 1.8 |
House construction | ||
 Mud | 1314 | 92.1 |
 Concrete | 112 | 7.9 |
Source of drinking water | ||
 Boreholes | 526 | 36.9 |
 Irrigation canal | 687 | 48.2 |
 Open dug wells | 213 | 14.9 |
Use of toilet | ||
 Pit toilets | 364 | 25.5 |
 Septic tank toilets | 45 | 3.2 |
 Open defecation | 1017 | 71.3 |
Washing hands after defecating/before eating | ||
 Yes | 474 | 33.2 |
 No | 952 | 66.8 |
Walking barefoot | ||
 Yes | 962 | 67.5 |
 No | 464 | 32.5 |
Finger nail status | ||
 Untrimmed | 1138 | 79.8 |
 Trimmed | 288 | 20.2 |
Habit of nail biting | ||
 Yes | 215 | 15.1 |
 No | 1211 | 84.9 |
Consumption of raw vegetables | ||
 Yes | 1250 | 87.7 |
 No | 176 | 12.3 |
Habit of eating soil | ||
 Yes | 50 | 3.5 |
 No | 1376 | 96.5 |