Hand Washing and Covering Your Cough: Strategies to Reduce School Absenteeism

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children miss more than 22 million school days each year due to the common cold. Therefore it is essential to instill good health habits, at an early age, to promote wellness. A 10 week hand washing study targeting 420 school children ages 5 to 12 resulted in a 42% decrease in school absences 1.

Two Stamford elementary school nurses created an interdisciplinary program for kindergarteners and first graders to instill important health and wellness behaviors, such as hand washing and covering your cough to help reduce the spread of germs. Four hundred and ten(410) children visually experienced how germs spread by using glow germ lotion and ultra violet light. This "hands on" experiment allowed the children to make the clear connection between prevention and the spread of germs. The children also were taught the proper method of covering a cough with your arm and hand washing. Each home room teacher also reinforced these lessons by reading "Germs Make Me Sick". The Music Department created a song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and the Art Department created posters for display in the building that focused on healthy habits. At the end of the program each child signed pledges to wash their hands as part of their wellness routine.

Parents were given pre and post questionnaires to assess the effectivenes of this program. Forty five percent of parents responded positively to the program's objectives and results.