Importance Of Hand Washing

Why is correct hand washing considered deviant? Children in first world countries are taught from a young age that proper hand washing will protect them from germs and the spread of disease (Lather Up For Good Health, 2010; Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Scrubclub.org, 2007). It ingrained into the minds of preschool children that one of the most important ways they can prevent contamination is by washing their hands with soap and water. Hand washing is therefore considered to be one of the only forms of defence against disease. Yet, even though it is important many adults do not continue with the hand washing techniques they are taught in childhood. Especially in hospitals, hand washing compliance levels are low which allows

The centre for disease control (CDC) website provides a step by step guide informing the public on the correct way to wash their hands (Cdc.gov, 2015). The CDC has five steps for washing your hands; wet, lather your entire hands, including under your nail, scrub your hand for 20 seconds or the time it takes for you to hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice, rinse and dry (ibid). Preschools are targeted with information about how to make hand washing a memorable and fun activity (Lather Up For Good Health, 2010; Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Scrubclub.org 2007) so that it becomes a habit for young children. These resources are sometimes funded by soap manufacturers and, therefore, could be considered a conflict of interest (Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Lather Up For Good Health, 2010). A campaign was launched to target remote Australian communities to encourage hand washing with soap which gave confidence to health professionals to support their communities (McDonald et al., 2011). Studies have shown that soap and water is the most effective way to decontaminate hands (Sickbert-Bennett et al., 2005; Grayson et al., 2009). Hand washing is perceived as an important part of the ritual of going to the bathroom or eating food. It is directly associated with cleanliness and if not observed people are considered deviant. Throughout both these

Even if a form of disgust intervention was implemented, would the culture eventually become desensitized to the shock value? Every study concerning hand washing techniques has focused on the risk of pathogen contamination. From preschools and schools focused on teaching about contamination (Lather Up For Good Health, 2010; Handy Saves The Day In Your Pre-School, 2014; Scrubclub.org, 2007) to trying to reduce illness related absences from primary school (Priest et al., 2014) to studies aimed as observing handwashing habits within hospitals to create relevant guidelines (Miller, Patrick and Ormrod, 2011). Yet this focus on contamination, I believe, has created within our society the association with risk assessment. So those who do not have independent thought and follow the rules are considered deviant. This issue, within our society, of our need for independence, must be addressed if hand washing culture is to be changed. In conjunction with the disassociation of pathogen