Scheduled hand washing in an elementary school population.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Hand washing prevents communicable illness. We evaluated the effect of a mandatory, scheduled hand-washing program in elementary school children on absenteeism due to acute communicable illness.

METHODS

The study was conducted at Trombley Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. The intervention group, approximately half of the school children (n = 143, including all grades 1-5), washed their hands a minimum of four scheduled times a day. The control group (n = 162) continued hand-washing practices as usual.

RESULTS

Of the 37 school days examined, children in the hand-washing group were absent fewer days than the control group due to all acute communicable illness (relative risk = .75). There were less days of absence due to gastrointestinal symptoms (relative risk = .43). The difference in absence due to respiratory symptoms was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

A scheduled hand-washing program will reduce acute communicable (gastrointestinal) illnesses in elementary school-age children.