Hygiene is the set of practices and conditions that limit the transmission of pathogens and preserve health, spanning personal behaviors such as handwashing, environmental sanitation, safe water, and food hygiene. As a determinant of disease, hygiene operates by interrupting the routes through which infectious agent…
Hygiene is the set of practices and conditions that limit the transmission of pathogens and preserve health, spanning personal behaviors such as handwashing, environmental sanitation, safe water, and food hygiene. As a determinant of disease, hygiene operates by interrupting the routes through which infectious agents move from contaminated hands, surfaces, water, or food to a susceptible host, which is why it is central to controlling diarrheal disease, respiratory infection, and waterborne illness. Research in this field examines hand-hygiene knowledge and adherence among health care workers, infection prevention and control practices in clinical settings, and complementary food hygiene among mothers and caregivers, recognizing that practice often diverges from knowledge. A second strand connects environmental sanitation and hygienic practice to nutritional status, since repeated enteric infection impairs growth and contributes to childhood stunting and undernutrition. The discipline also addresses microbiological food spoilage and the antimicrobial agents used against it, alongside municipal strategies to combat waterborne disease at the population scale. Sub-areas include hand and clinical hygiene, food and water safety, environmental sanitation, and the behavioral and socioeconomic factors that shape uptake. Hygiene thus sits at the intersection of microbiology, public health, and community education, where measurable improvements in practice translate into reduced infection burden.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 131 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Hygiene, linking to each citing work.