Table 7.
Intervention studies evaluating the impact of hand hygiene education or handwashing on reductions in infectious illnesses
| Intervention | Setting, country | Outcome measured | Result, % reduction (95% CI) | Statistical significance | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HW + HE | Child care, United States | Diarrhea | 48 (0.23-0.65) | Yes | Black et al, 1981155 |
| HW + HE | Child care, United States | Diarrhea | 12 (−0.10-0.30) | No | Bartlett et al, 1988156 |
| HW | Elementary school, United States | Gastrointestinal symptoms | 57 (0.27-0.75) | Yes | Master et al, 1997157 |
| HW + HE | Child care, Canada | Diarrhea | −10 (−0.50-0.19) | No | Carabin et al, 1999158 |
| HW + HE | Child care, Australia | Diarrhea | 50 (0.32-0.64) | Yes | Roberts et al, 2000159 |
HW + HE indicates that the intervention arm received a hygiene education component that included handwashing; HW indicates that increased frequency or a scheduled handwashing was the only difference between the intervention and control group.
HW, handwashing; HE, hygiene education; CI, confidence interval.