The Impact of a Co – created Comic Story and Activity Book on Personal Hygiene Awareness and Practices Among Primary School Pupils in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Background Ensuring proper personal and environmental hygiene among school children is crucial in reducing the spread of hygiene-related diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections. This study assessed the impact of a comic story and activity book on personal and environmental hygiene awareness and practices among primary school pupils in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Methods A quasi-experimental study design was employed, involving 400 pupils (200 intervention, 200 control). A structured pre- and post-intervention survey was conducted to measure hygiene knowledge, handwashing behaviors, waste disposal habits, and overall school cleanliness. The intervention group, which received the comic book, demonstrated a significant increase in hygiene awareness (p < 0.05) and improved sanitation practices compared to the control. Results These findings highlight the effectiveness of comic storytelling as an educational tool in promoting hygiene practices among children. As a total of 110 (55%) and 98 (49%) respectively from the control group and intervention group of the pupils responded in the affirmative at pre-intervention assessment which increased at post intervention to 139 (69.5%) in the control group and 179 (89.5%) in the intervention group.