Personal hygiene-related challenges faced by people with disabilities affected by cyclone and flooding in Bangladesh: A qualitative study

Many people with disabilities experience challenges in practising good hygiene. Climate hazards exacerbate those challenges. This phenomenological qualitative study explored how climate hazards influenced personal hygiene practices, including handwashing, bathing, laundry, and menstrual health and hygiene and related adaptations among people with disabilities and their caregivers in cyclone-affected Satkhira and flood-affected Gaibandha, Bangladesh. Using purposive sampling, we interviewed 35 people with disabilities and 16 caregivers who experienced cyclones or floods between 2018 and 2023. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews and observations. We used iterative thematic analysis to analyse findings. During Cyclone Amphan in Satkhira and recurrent floods in Gaibandha, handwashing practices remained the same as pre-disaster daily practice. However, inaccessible, waterlogged, and muddy pathways prevented participants in Satkhira from…