<![CDATA[Communities living near cemetery areas may face environmental exposure that can increase the risk of environment-based diseases. Personal hygiene is an important behavior that can help prevent disease transmission through contact with contaminated environments. This study aimed to determine the relationship between personal hygiene and environment-based diseases among residents living within a 300-meter radius of cemetery areas in Surakarta City. This quantitative study used an analytical correlation design with a cross-sectional approach. The study involved 253 respondents selected using purposive sampling from six cemetery areas in Surakarta City. Data were collected using questionnaires measuring personal hygiene and symptoms of environment-based diseases. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis and Pearson Chi-Square test with a significance level of 0.05. Most respondents had good personal hygiene. Among the respondents included in the specific relationship analysis, 70.0% had good personal hygiene, 23.3% had moderate personal hygiene, and 6.7% had poor personal hygiene. Whipple disease was the most frequently reported disease, followed by Klebsiella infection and Bartonellosis. Personal hygiene was significantly associated with Klebsiella infection (p=0.001) and Whipple disease (p<0.001), but was not significantly associated with Bartonellosis (p=0.261). These findings indicate that better personal hygiene may help reduce the risk of some environment-based diseases, although other factors may also contribute to disease occurrence. Improving personal hygiene and environmental health practices is therefore important for communities living near cemetery areas communities]]>
