Table 8.
Intervention studies evaluating the impact of hand hygiene education or handwashing on reductions in respiratory illnesses
| Intervention | Setting, country | Outcome measured | Result, % reduction (95% CI) | Statistical significance | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HE | Elementary school, United States | Respiratory illness-related | 53 (−1.38-0.91) | No | Kimel,163 1996 |
| Absenteeism | |||||
| HW + HE | Elementary school, United States | Respiratory illness-related | 21 (−0.02-0.39) | No | Master et al,157 1997 |
| Absenteeism | |||||
| HE | Child care, United States | Colds | 32 (−0.04-0.56) | No | Niffenegger,164 1997 |
| HE | Child care, Canada | Respiratory | 20 (0.07-0.32) | Yes | Carabin et al,158 1999 |
| HE | Child care, Australia | Respiratory | 5 (−0.01-0.11) | No | Roberts et al,165 2000 |
| HW + HE | Community, Pakistan | Acute respiratory tract infections | 51 (0.49-0.53) | Yes | Luby et al,166 2005 |
HW, handwashing; HE, hygiene education; CI, confidence interval.