Improving young children’s handwashing behaviour and understanding of germs: The impact of A Germ’s Journey educational resources in schools and public spaces.

Two intervention studies evaluated the impacts of Germ’s journey resources on both knowledge and behavioural outcomes. In Study 1, children (n = 225) were recruited from 4r schools and  assigned by classrooms to participate in a multicomponent intervention (vs. control). In Study 2, children (n = 104) were recruited from a museum and  assigned to participate in a song intervention (vs. control). Observers recorded participants’ engagement in 6 handwashing behaviours and understanding of germs. These behavioural and knowledge outcomes were analysed using regression and related analyses.

In Study 1, significant improvement was observed between baseline and follow up in the intervention group ( both behavioural scores and knowledge scores), whereas improvements were not observed in the control group. In Study 2, the intervention group had significantly higher behavioural scores compared to the control group. This research demonstrates  designed hand hygiene educational resources can improve handwashing practice and understanding in young children, which could lead to reduction of the transmission of disease.

Younie S, Mitchell C, Bisson M-J, Crosby S, Kukona A, Laird K (2020) Improving young children’s handwashing behaviour and understanding of germs: The impact of A Germ’s Journey educational resources in schools and public spaces. PLoS ONE 15(11): e0242134.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242134