Running head: HAND HYGIENE EDUCATION 1

The Importance of Hand Hygiene Education in Early Childhood

Joyce C. Kim

Auburn University at Montgomery

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The Importance of Hand Hygiene Education in Early Childhood

Preventable disease continues to be the leading cause of child deaths worldwide (Burns,

Maughan-Brown, & Mouzinho, 2018). According to Burns et al., diarrheal and acute respiratory

infections cause “35 and 32% of child deaths respectively, whilst communicable diseases have

been estimated to be responsible for 73% of deaths in children under the age of five years” (p. 2).

Hand hygiene remains a simple, inexpensive, and effective method to prevent communicable

disease (Watson et al., 2018). However, there still exists a lack of emphasis on and adherence to

proper hand hygiene, especially in the habit-forming years of early childhood (Clark, Henk,

Crandall, Crandall, & O’Bryan, 2016). Healthcare professionals must provide education on the

importance of hand hygiene in early childhood to result in increased awareness of proper

handwashing techniques, decreased infection rates, and decreased illness-related school

absenteeism.

Healthcare professionals can utilize play-based learning to increase awareness of proper

handwashing techniques in early childhood (Watson et al., 2018). Children learn through play;

therefore, play is an effective tool in early childhood to improve handwashing compliance and

build healthy habits for the future (Watson et al., 2018). They used a simple method of embedding

a toy in a clear bar of soap to incorporate play with handwashing education. This simple, play-

based method can increase compliance by as much as fourfold (Watson et al., 2018). By

implementing interventions in an engaging manner, healthcare professionals can increase

knowledge retention build healthy hand hygiene practices (Watson et al., 2018). Increased

awareness of proper hand hygiene leads to decreased infection rates (Clark et al., 2016).

Healthcare professionals have an important role in decreasing infection rates by educating

both caregivers and children on the importance of hand hygiene (Clark et al., 2016). Caregivers
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must be included in hand hygiene education to provide reinforcement of handwashing at crucial

times throughout the day (Clark et al., 2016). The authors found that the overall compliance of

handwashing among caregivers, paraprofessional aides, and parents in one child care facility was

only 22%. Healthcare professionals help reduce infection rates by reinforcing handwashing in

early childhood (Mazlan et al., 2017). Decreased infection rates result in decreased illness-related

school absenteeism (Mahmud et al., 2015).

Through hand hygiene education, healthcare professionals can promote primary prevention

to decrease illness-related school absenteeism (Mahmud et al., 2015). Caregivers must implement

proper hand hygiene techniques, specifically the use of soap and water and regular nail clipping

(Mahmud et al., 2015). These two simple but cost-effective interventions lead to decreased

infection rates and prove successful in preventing gastrointestinal illnesses and respiratory

infections (Mahmud et al., 2015). During peak infection times such as flu season, additional

implementation of gel-based hand sanitizers significantly reduces school absenteeism (Azor-

Martinez et al., 2014). If these small, yet effective interventions can be regularly implemented in

the classroom and at home, the incidence of preventable infectious diseases can be reduced

(Mazlan et al., 2017).

Healthcare professionals can utilize education to help increase awareness of proper

handwashing techniques, decrease infection rates, and decrease illness-related school absenteeism.

Healthcare professionals can help emphasize the importance of primary prevention through proper

hand hygiene instruction in the habit-forming years of early childhood (Clark et al., 2016).

Healthcare professionals can equip caregivers and young children with a simple and cost-effective

method to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with preventable disease (Burns,

Maughan-Brown, & Mouzinho, 2018).

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References

Azor-Martinez, E., Gonzalez-Jimenez, Y., Seijas-Vazquez, M. L., Cobox-Carrascosa, E.,

Santisteban-Martinez, J., Martinez-Lopaz, J. M., …Gimenez-Sanchez, F. (2014). The

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Burns, J., Maughan-Brown, B., & Mouzinho, A. (2018). Washing with hope: Evidence of

improved handwashing among children in south africa from a pilot study of a novel soap

technology. BMC Public Health, 18, 1-13. doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5573-8

Clark, J., Henk, J. K., Crandall, P.G., Crandall, M. A., & O’Bryan, C. A. (2016). An

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Mahmud, M.A., Spigt, M., Bezabih, A. M., Pavon, I. L., Dinant, G., & Velasco, R. B. (2015).

Efficiency of handwashing with soap and nail clipping on intestinal parasitic infections in

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