Abstract: Access to handwashing areas is not as convenient as having alcohol in one’s pocket or bedside. Alternatively, cleaning the hands with alcohol can save us a lot of time and effort in disinfecting our hands thus giving us more time for patient care. If alcohol can be proven as effective as soap and water in hand disinfection, then residents and nurses may use this method of hand hygiene instead. Objective: To compare the efficacy of 70% isopropyl alcohol against standard handwashing in hand hygiene among medical residents and nurses at a tertiary hospital. Methods: Seventy-six doctors and nurses were randomly assigned to two groups with 38 subjects each. Group 1 used plain soap and water while group 2 used 70% isopropyl alcohol hand rub. hand swabbing was done before and after hand hygiene. The presence or absence of bacteria was compared for the same subject, before and after hand disinfection. The mean decrease in colony count in group 1 was compared to group 2. Results: Both groups were successful in reducing the mean colony count. Handwashing group had a decrease from 27.34 34 +33.17to 3.58+ 6.63 CFU, while the alcohol group from 21.5 + 31.13 to 0.76 + 1.48 CFU, both with p values <0.05. But in comparison, the mean changes for both groups were not statistically significant, therefore no intervention was superior to the other and both were equally effective. Conclusion Seven percent isopropyl alcohol is as effective as standard handwashing in disinfection. It is recommended to have 70% isopropyl alcohol at bedside/individually carried by doctors/nurses for easy access. Observation of proper hand washing technique should always be emphasized. Bacterial colony identification is ideal for future studies.
Hand Disinfection ; 2-Propanol ; Hand Hygiene

BACKGROUND: School age is a time when students form habits of healthy behavior that affect their lifetime health. However, most previous studies were conducted on hand washing and brushing teeth and no studies included bathing in personal hygiene. We aim to improve knowledge and performance about hand washing, brushing teeth, and bathing in school age children. The study was based on the health belief model and ways to establish proper personal hygiene habits. METHODS: A non-equivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was used in this study. The educational content included hand hygiene, oral hygiene and bath hygiene. After the pre and post evaluation of the control group, the experimental group received the education and pre and post evaluation over five weeks. Then, the education program was provided to the control group. This study was conducted over ten weeks from April to June 2017. RESULTS: Knowledge on personal hygiene habits (F=8.41, P=0.006) and performance of personal hygiene habits (F=29.09, P < 0.001) were higher in the experimental group compared to the control group after controlling the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show obvious difference between the experimental group and control group on knowledge and performance for personal hygiene habits. This result demonstrated that the program based on the health belief model was effective. It is necessary to develop other effective programs including hand washing, brushing teeth, and bathing to help students develop good personal hygiene habits.
Baths ; Child ; Education ; Hand Disinfection ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Oral Hygiene ; Tooth

This research aimed to survey foodservice hygiene management practices performed by principals and teachers as well as examine foodservice employees' hygiene knowledge in kindergartens. Surveys were administered to principals, teachers, and foodservice employees at 392 kindergartens. The total average score of six categories was 4.28 out of 5.0. Average score of the production process management category was the lowest at 3.90 while safety management was the highest at 4.69. Other average scores were as follows: facilities and equipment 4.20, personal hygiene 4.14, food ingredient control 4.35, and environmental sanitation 4.39. Teachers' foodservice hygiene management practices scored 3.8 points out of 5 on average. Hygiene knowledge of foodservice employees was also tested. The mean score of foodservice hygiene knowledge was 76.29%. The lowest scoring category was personal hygiene, suggesting that foodservice employees require more knowledge on proper personal hygiene practices. Possession rates of dish sterilizer, ultraviolet sterilizer, and hand washing facilities in the kitchen were low. These equipment installation rates should be raised accordingly. To enhance control of foodservice hygiene, kindergarten management should pay more attention to education and training related to foodservice sanitation.
Hand Disinfection ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Safety Management ; Sanitation

No abstract available.
Catheterization* ; Disinfection* ; Hand Hygiene* ; Rubber* ; Tourniquets*

Hand washing is an important component of hygiene program for food handlers. Hands can be a source of direct or indirect contamination of foods with pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the effectiveness of hand washing methods and the use of 70% alcohol solution against transient skin bacteria was tested in an university foodservice facility. 70% alcohol solution is sprayed for 5 seconds automatically when hands are placed in the dispenser. Samples were taken using swab technique in meat cutting area, vegetable trimming area, and vegetable cutting area: before and after washing hands according to planned methods, and after being sprayed with 70% alcohol solution after washing hands. The bacteriological analysis of total plate counts, coliform, fecal coliform of food handlers' hands was done. Statistical data analysis was completed with Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis model using the SPSS program. The levels of initial contamination of workers' hand were significantly different by the work areas(chi-square=9.156, p<0.01). Workers in the vegetable trimming area had more heavily soiled hands than in the other work areas. Mean of TPC counts and coliform was 8.97x10(5) CFU/12.4cm2, 2.93x10(2) MPN/12.4cm2 respectively, but fecal coliform was not detected. Transient bacteria were removed from hands after washing and using 70% alcohol solution but were not removed completely. Mean reduction percentage in TPC varied among work areas and ranged from 93.19% to 94.99%, and in colifroms from 97.31% to 100%. A significant difference in TPC was found between before and after hand disinfection (Z=-2.714, p<.01) and between standardized hand washing procedures and un-standardized hand washing procedures(z=-2.301, p<.01). Subjects using the hand sanitizer showed a great elimination of TPC(99.45% reduction), but this effect was valid only after following proper washing procedures. Based on the results, the most effective hand washing method was recommended as the combination of the standardized hand washing procedure with warm-water and use of th 70% alcohol solution. The results can be used to develop hand hygiene programs and training strategies for enhancing hand hygiene practices for food handlers in foodservice operations.
Bacteria* ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Hand Disinfection* ; Hand Hygiene ; Hand* ; Hygiene ; Meat ; Skin* ; Soil ; Vegetables

Hand Disinfection ; standards ; Hand Hygiene ; methods ; Humans ; Infection Control ; methods

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to survey hygiene behavior of healthcare personnel according to the Hygiene Inventory 23 (HI23) and to use the results in education and research for promoting hygiene behaviors. METHODS: We sampled a total of 400 people with 50 from each job category. The sample was obtained through convenient sampling among 8,200 employees working at a tertiary-care hospital with 2,600 beds in Seoul. The HI23 consisted of 5 subscales and 8 questions on general hygiene, 3 on household hygiene, 3 on food-related hygiene, 5 on hand hygiene methods, and 4 on personal hygiene, resulting in a total of 23 questions. The researcher also added 14 questions on the general characteristics of the subjects. The self-administered questionnaires were distributed on October 2009 and analyzed blindly. RESULTS: The average total score for hygiene behavior was 3.04+/-0.44 (maximum of 4). In the subcategory of hygiene behavior, the mean score was 3.20+/-4.24 for general hygiene, 3.07+/-0.68 for household hygiene, 3.07+/-0.68 for food-related hygiene, 2.91+/-0.69 for hand hygiene methods, and 2.97+/-0.48 for personal hygiene. When factors affecting the level of hygiene behavior were identified through multivariate regression analysis, independent factors were found to be gender (female), job category (food-related job), experience in hand hygiene education, and experience in teaching hand hygiene or general hygiene. CONCLUSION: Programs and education adapted to the characteristics of each job category in hospitals are needed to promote hygiene behaviors such as general hygiene, hand hygiene methods, household hygiene, food-related hygiene, and personal hygiene.
Delivery of Health Care ; Family Characteristics ; Hand Disinfection ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Hand Hygiene*

Introduction: Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) remains to be highly prevalent in the Philippines, despite the implementation of school-based bi-annual mass drug administration and other preventive measures under the Garantisadong Pambata Program by the Department of Health (DOH). Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study determined the association between the level of knowledge and the actual practices of family care givers in the prevention of STH among school-age children belonging to low-income families in an urban barangay. Results: Among 193 respondents, 97.93% had good level of knowledge of STH prevention and control, 83.42% had good hand hygiene practices, but only 39.90% adhered to the recommended bi-annual anti-helminthic prophylaxis for their school-aged children. A positive association was noted between level of knowledge and actual hand hygiene practices, but this was not statistically significant (i.e., prevalence odds ratio = 5.3, p = 0.129). Among those who did not comply with the bi-annual anti-helminthic administration, there was a prevalence odds ratio (POR) of 0.66 that the family care giver was knowledgeable on STH prevention and control, and this negative association was not statistically significant (i.e., p = 0.529). Conclusion Level of knowledge on STH prevention was positively associated with hand hygiene practices but was negatively associated with compliance with the bi-annual deworming prophylaxis. But these associations were not statistically significant.
Hand Hygiene

The hand hygiene behavior of 400 middle school students (grades 1-3) in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do was studied to determine how stages of change were affected by food safety education, focusing on hand hygiene and general food safety. Subjects were 51.3% male and 44.3% of study subjects were first graders of middle school. Approximately 40% of subjects were at the stage of action, 42.7% were at the stage of contemplation, and 16.4% were at pre-contemplation. The most important factor that influenced proper hand washing was self efficacy (P < 0.001). Proper hand washing was also correlated significantly with positive belief (P < 0.01) and stages of change (P < 0.01). After food safety education by high-school mentors, middle-school students who were in the stages of pre-contemplation (11.1%) and contemplation (88.9%) showed significant progression toward the action stage (P < 0.001). Proper hand washing (P < 0.01) and food safety knowledge (P < 0.05) were also significantly increased after educational intervention.
Food Safety ; Hand ; Hand Disinfection ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Male ; Mentors ; Self Efficacy