Health and Hygiene
This Section Contains:
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Field Notes
Hand Washing: Field Notes
Randomized control studies have shown that hand washing can reduce diarrhea in children in developing nations by between 30% and 53%. Hands can pick up pathogens that cause diarrhea in the latrine, while defecating, by washing hands in infected water, by touching another person’s hands, by touching the ground where someone has tracked fecal matter.
Hand washing with soap is the number one prevention against the spread of person-to-person infection. Hand washing reduces the spread of germs that cause diarrhea, respiratory illness, and skin infection.
It is important that the children wash their hands after defecating and before eating. Equally, it is important for their mother to wash her hands at the same important times, but also before handling food and water – so that they don’t infect clean food and water prior to their children eating and drinking.
Key elements to remember about handwashing:
- Use soap every time you wash your hands.
- How you wash your hands is just as important as when you wash them.
- Unwashed hands can transfer harmful microorganisms to other people.
- Discourage multiple people using the same water for hand washing; change the water between each person.
- Share the hand washing message with family, neighbors and friends.
When should you wash your hands?
- After going to the latrine.
- After cleaning a child’s bottom or handling a child’s stool.
- Before preparing or eating food.
- After handling uncooked foods such as raw meats, poultry or fish.
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- After handling an animal or animal waste.
- After agricultural work.
- After children’s play.
- After handling garbage.
- Before and after treating a cut or wound.
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Before and after feeding an infant or child.
Hand Washing Teaching Technique:
- Hand washing is best learned through watching and doing.
- Demonstrate proper hand washing with each participant (step-by-step) – then ask them to do it while you coach them.
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Give feedback and encouragement.
Steps in proper hand washing technique:
- Place your hands together under water – warm water if possible.
- Treated water should be used for hand washing.
- Use Soap.
- Rub your hands together for at least 10-15 seconds. Wash all surfaces thoroughly, including wrists, palms, backs of hands, fingers, and under the fingernails.
- Clean the dirt from under your fingernails.
- Rinse hands.
- Dry your hands completely with a clean towel.
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If no clean towel is available, air dry hands.
