School return: eight out of ten parents worried about their children’s poor hand hygiene

Nearly a third of children won’t remember to wash their hands after coughing says worrying survey

One of the more concerning conclusions being drawn from a recent Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) / Lifebuoy survey is that even though many parents are making an effort to educate children about appropriate hand washing techniques, they themselves are still “unsure of the most important times to wash their hands”, according to a recent report on The Mirror website.

Article author Astrid Hall revealed a number of headline worries from the 2,000 person poll, including

• 40% of parents find it a “battle” to get children to wash hands after a toilet visit
• 80% are “concerned” about their child’s hand hygiene upon returning to school
• Nearly a third “won’t remember” to wash their hands after coughing
• And nearly half are concerned about the germs they may bring home with them.

“And despite the recent emphasis on the importance of hand washing, 43 per cent of parents still have to remind their children to clean their hands before touching or eating food.”

Dr Ranj Singh is quoted in the article as saying

“It’s great that hand-washing has been taken more seriously over the last few months as it’s been shown to be one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of germs and bacteria.”

But he acknowledged the essential importance of teaching good hand washing habits to children, advising

“This is where parents can help support their kids by setting a good example and teaching them about the important times for hand-washing.”

Nearly half of children still don’t want to wash their hands after using the toilet »

Portable sinks can go wherever kids need to wash their hands – inside and out!

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Portable sinks for preschool and nursery children »