Fun Facts about Hand Hygiene!

Official CDC hand washing infographic aimed at children and teenagers to raise awareness for when to wash your hands. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/posters.html

iNTENDED AUDIENCE

The infographic I created is mainly directed toward elementary and middle school students. Researchers have found that children aged 5 to 14 are an important target group for hand-washing interventions (Watson et al., 2021). Educating children when they are younger could help reduce the rates of school absenteeism and create habits that will remain throughout adulthood, which will also positively impact the overall health of the public.  Although these practices could be influenced by the social, environmental, and behavioral determinants in each individual’s area, it is beneficial to start teaching them at a young age (Watson et al., 2021). The infographic could be displayed in public or school restrooms, classrooms and in school hallways.

Importance of hand hygiene

Maintaining proper hand hygiene is essential to preventing the spread of disease and staying healthy. Hand hygiene, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the “way of cleaning one’s hands that substantially reduces potential pathogens on the hands (CDC, 2016). It is recommended by the CDC to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. If it is not readily available, then a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol should be used to clean your hands. A few key times to wash your hands are before touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, before and after eating food, and after touching objects or surfaces that other people frequently come into contact with (CDC, 2022). It is important for people of all ages to know how to do it properly, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that proper hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to control infection (Nishimura et al., 2022).