Home

After two years of development we are very pleased to introduce Handwashing Works! Through Essity’s Essentials Initiative (formerly known as Hygiene Matters) we discovered the need for more in-depth hand hygiene education for children. Handwashing Works is a resource for PreK through 2^nd grade educators to use when delivering handwashing education in their schools. They can order a free instruction kit which includes a lesson plan and materials for in-class activities. Students learn the five steps to follow for effective handwashing and when they should wash their hands.

Essity teamed up with the School District of Philadelphia and Temple University’s College of Public Health to measure the impact of hand hygiene education on student behavior. The study was conducted by Heather M. Murphy, Ph.D., P.Eng and Deirdre Dingman, DrPH, MPH, CHES with support from Temple graduate students.

The study findings revealed that nearly 45% of the students participating in the study increased the quality of their handwashing. Temple evaluators observed students and scoring was applied to each child’s handwashing activity (following handwashing steps in order, scrubbing their hands for 20 seconds, drying their hands) over a period of time.