Background: Health Belief Model (HBM) explains different health behaviors, including hygienic practices, in light of different perceptions about health risks and related behaviors. Objective(s): To assess mothers' perceptions about childhood infections and hygienic behavior based on the constructs of the Health Belief Model. Methods: A convenient sample of 300 mothers admitted with their children at El Anfoushy paediatrics hospital was interviewed. Data was collected using an interviewing questionnaire investigating mothers' knowledge, health beliefs, self-efficacy and practices regarding hygienic behavior. The total beliefs' score was graded as high if exceeded 75% of the maximum score or low if score is below 50%. Hygienic practices of a subsample of 100 mothers were assessed using a structured observational checklist covering data about the cleanliness of mother, child and area surrounding their hospital bed. Results: The mean age of the interviewed mothers was 26.18±3.99 years. About 40% of them had basic education and almost half of them were of middle socioeconomic standard. The level of mothers' knowledge about hygiene was fair in 47.7% and poor in 36% of the mothers. The majority of mothers showed a high level of perceived susceptibility (86.3%), severity (88.7%) and benefits (96.7%). Less than half of the mothers (44.3%) showed a high level of perceived barriers to adhering to hygienic behavior. Almost 60% of the sample showed a high level of self-efficacy. Reported level of mothers' hygienic practices was high in 50.3% of the sample, while observation showed a high level of practice in only 11% and low practice level in 57% of the subsample. Multiple regression analysis showed a positive significant influence of knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility, severity and benefits on hygienic behavior of mothers. Perceived barriers had a significant negative influence on the studied behavior. Conclusion: The hygienic behavior of mothers is markedly influenced by their beliefs regarding the relation between health and hygiene as well as their beliefs regarding their ability to and cost of performing these behaviors.

The service provided by Alexandria DHEI is highly satisfying to its target audience mainly in terms of providers and accessibility. Enhancing the technical skills of the department staff through training is highly recommended. The department is also recommended to advocate for the credibility of social workers and health visitors as health educators among the community.

Background: Assessing consumers' satisfaction with health education services can help in monitoring the quality of provided service and understanding consumers' perceptions and utilization patterns of the service. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study targeting consumers attending the health education sessions provided by Alexandria Department of Health Education and Information (DHEI) at different governmental health facilities and nongovernmental organizations was performed. A simple random sample of 400 participants was interviewed using an interview questionnaire assessing respondents' socioeconomic characteristics, health literacy, attitude toward health education services, and satisfaction with the health education service provided by the DHEI.. Results: Approximately 70% of the consumers' sample showed fair health literacy level. Most of the sample mentioned physicians a credible source of health knowledge followed by 58.8% who selected health education sessions as another trusted health information source. Overall, 90% of the sample was highly satisfied by the service overall. Behavior and skills of the service providers were the most satisfying aspects, whereas health education materials obtained the least satisfaction. Consumers' educational level and healthcare affordability proved to have a significant positive influence on their satisfaction (β=0.307 and 0.191, respectively) whereas occupation and family income showed a significant negative influence (P<0.001). Conclusion:The service provided by Alexandria DHEI is highly satisfying to its target audience mainly in terms of providers and accessibility. Enhancing the technical skills of the department staff through training is highly recommended. The department is also recommended to advocate for the credibility of social workers and health visitors as health educators among the community.