Self-Reported Personal Hygiene Practices and Associated Factors among Prison Inmates in a Jail in Pakistan

Abstract

Prison inmates are a vulnerable population with increased risk of exposure to poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions, which raises communicable diseases. Objective: To determine self-reported personal hygiene practices and associated factors among inmates in Nara Jail, Hyderabad. Methods: This institution-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Nara Jail, Hyderabad (December 2025–January 2026). Ninety-one inmates were selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and a standardized observational checklist adapted from WHO WASH guidelines. Associations were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, with statistical significance set at p <0.005. Results: Although 96.7% of inmates acknowledged the importance of soap use, only 40.7% had prior awareness of formal WASH practices, and nearly all reported the absence of hygiene education during incarceration. While 94.5% reported handwashing after toilet use, 23.1% relied solely on water. Direct observation identified poor hygiene conditions, including unclean fingernails (42.9%) and visible dermatological conditions (31.9%). Poor fingernail hygiene was significantly associated with recent gastrointestinal morbidity (p <0.005). Conclusions: There were significant gaps in formal WASH knowledge, institutional hygiene support, and observed hygiene conditions among prison inmates. Structural deficiencies in prison WASH infrastructure and lack of institutional health education contribute to preventable health risks, highlighting the need for evidence-based prison health reforms in Pakistan.