Table 2.
Community‐Based Hygiene Interventions in Developed Countries to Reduce Rates of Viral URIs
| Citation/Year | Setting | Measures a | Measure of Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butz, Larson, Fosarelli, and Yolken (1990) | 24 day care homes | Alcohol hand hygiene product, vinyl gloves, and changing pads | NS b reduction in respiratory symptoms |
| Krilov et al. (1996) | 1 school for Down Syndrome children | Environmental cleaning and disinfection, emphasizing toys | Decreased respiratory illnesses (0.67 vs. 0.42 illnesses/child/month, p<.07) |
| Master, Hess Longe, and Dickson (1997) | 1 elementary school | Scheduled handwashing throughout the day | NS difference in absence due to respiratory illness |
| Niffenegger (1997) | 2 child care centers (intervention and control) | Handwashing for teachers and children | Risk ratio 1.47 (1.01–2.13) for control center |
| Falsey et al. (1999) | 1 senior day care center | Alcohol hand hygiene product | NS difference in URI rates |
| Dyer, Shinder, and Shinder (2000) | 1 elementary school | Benzalkonium rinse‐free hand hygiene product | Reduced URIs by 30.9% (p=.02) and 76% (p=.001) in two cross‐overs |
| Hammond, Ali, Fendler, Dolan, and Donovan (2000) | 16 elementary schools | Alcohol hand hygiene product | Absenteeism from infection reduced 19.8% (p<.05) |
| Roberts et al. (2000) | 23 large child care centers | Handwashing, aseptic nose wiping | Reduction in URIs in children ≤24 months (11.4 vs. 13/child‐year, p=.01) |
| Ryan, Christian, and Wohlrabe (2001) | >90,000 naval recruits | Handwashing | 45% reduction in outpatient visits for URIs |
| White, Shinder, Shinder, and Dyer (2001) | 3 elementary schools | Benzalkonium rinse‐free hand hygiene product | Absenteeism from infection reduced 33% (95% CI:17–45%) |
| Guinan, McGuckin, and Ali (2002) | 5 elementary schools | Alcohol hand hygiene product | 50.6% reduction in absences from infection (p<.001) |
| White et al. (2003) | 4 college residence halls | Alcohol hand hygiene product | 14.8–39.9% reduction in URI symptoms (all p<.02) |
| Larson et al. (2004) | 238 households | Antibacterial cleaning and soap products | NS difference in URI symptoms between plain and antibacterial products |
| Morton and Schultz (2004) | 1 elementary school | Alcohol hand hygiene product | 43% reduction in absences from infection (p=.005) |
| Ponka, Poussa, and Laosmaa (2004) | 60 child care centers | Handwashing, environmental cleaning, washing toys and linens | ∼26% reduction in URIs (p=.05) in children<3 years |
| Sandora et al. (2005) | 292 households with child in day care | Alcohol hand hygiene product | NS difference in URIs |
| White et al. (2005) | 4 college residence halls | Alcohol hand hygiene product | 40% reduction in absences from illness (p<.001) |
Notes. URI=upper respiratory infections.
a
In addition to the interventions listed, every study included an educational component.
b
NS=not statistically significant.