Anderson Joy L, Warren Cynthia A, Perez Elena, Louis Reggie I, Phillips Stephanie, Wheeler Jean, Cole Melissa, Misra Ranjita
Center for the Study of Health Disparities, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
Am J Infect Control. 2008 Jun;36(5):361-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2007.09.007.
Poor hand hygiene on college campuses can be improved by promoting handwashing behavior. This observational study was conducted to evaluate gender and race/ethnic differences in hand hygiene practices among college students.
Hand hygiene practices in college students were evaluated in 4 settings (soap and water; soap and water and visual prompts; soap and water and hand sanitizers; and soap and water, hand sanitizers, and visual prompts). The degree of hand hygiene (ie, adequate handwashing time, use of hand sanitizer, and hand-drying method) also was evaluated at various locations on campus.
Overall, 72.9% of students washed their hands, 58.3% practiced hand hygiene (using either soap or hand sanitizer), and 26.1% washed their hands adequately. Hand sanitizer use was low when students were given the option, and paper towel was the most common hand-drying method. In general, hand hygiene practices were better in academic buildings than in the student recreation center. Visual prompts improved handwashing behavior only among students in the "other" ethnic category, but not by gender.
Handwashing is the most effective way of preventing the spread of infectious diseases, and our findings have implications for the design of effective hand hygiene education programs in college students.
通过促进洗手行为可改善大学校园不良的手部卫生状况。本观察性研究旨在评估大学生手部卫生习惯中的性别及种族/民族差异。
在4种情境下评估大学生的手部卫生习惯（使用肥皂和水；使用肥皂和水并搭配视觉提示；使用肥皂和水及洗手液；使用肥皂和水、洗手液并搭配视觉提示）。还在校园内的不同地点评估了手部卫生程度（即洗手时间是否足够、洗手液的使用情况以及擦干手的方法）。
总体而言，72.9%的学生洗手，58.3%的学生保持手部卫生（使用肥皂或洗手液），26.1%的学生洗手时间足够。当为学生提供选择时，洗手液的使用率较低，纸巾是最常用的擦干手的方法。一般来说，学术楼内的手部卫生习惯比学生娱乐中心更好。视觉提示仅在“其他”种族类别的学生中改善了洗手行为，而非按性别区分。
洗手是预防传染病传播的最有效方法，我们的研究结果对设计针对大学生的有效手部卫生教育项目具有启示意义。
