Effectiveness of “Hand Hygiene Fun Month” for Kindergarten Children: A Pilot Quasi-Experimental Study

• Main Authors: Lorna Kwai Ping Suen, Janet Pui Lee Cheung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: pre-school; kindergarten; hand hygiene; education; quasi-experimental
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/19/7264
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

Early childhood is a formative period during which healthy habits are developed, including proper hand hygiene practices. The aim of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of a 4-week series of educational sessions that consider the cognitive developmental stage of children on increasing their knowledge and promoting hand hygiene practices. The intervention group (n = 33) observed the hand hygiene program, whereas another group served as the waitlist control (n = 20). Creative activities were planned for the illustration of hand hygiene concepts in terms of “right moments”, “right steps”, and “right duration”. Hand sanitizer coverage was evaluated using a hand scanner. After the intervention, the experimental group had higher knowledge level toward hand hygiene than the control group (<i>p </i>< 0.001). Significant improvements in hand hygiene performance at the left palm and dorsum (<i>p </i>< 0.05), right palm (<i>p </i>< 0.05), and overall hand coverage (<i>p </i>< 0.05) were observed in the experimental group. The study demonstrated that the knowledge and proper hand hygiene (HH) practice of children can be positively influenced by the use of an age-appropriate education program. The results of this study have implications for school health educators and parents for promoting HH practices among children at home and at the school level.