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

Lorna Kwai Ping Suen and Janet Pui Lee Cheung
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Lorna Kwai Ping Suen: Squina International Centre for Infection Control, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Janet Pui Lee Cheung: Squina International Centre for Infection Control, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-15

Abstract: 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 ( p < 0.001). Significant improvements in hand hygiene performance at the left palm and dorsum ( p < 0.05), right palm ( p < 0.05), and overall hand coverage ( p < 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.

Keywords: pre-school; kindergarten; hand hygiene; education; quasi-experimental (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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