Public awareness of hand hygiene as a simple measure in the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases: a systematic literature review

Hygiene-related communicable diseases result in millions of deaths each year across the globe. Good hand hygiene practice is recognised as one of the most effective methods in preventing the spread of hygiene-related communicable diseases from person to person. Most of the studies carried out on the hand hygiene knowledge, practice and compliance of the general public found that compliance is often poor. These poor practices have led to a rise in various hygiene-related communicable diseases such as diarrhoea and influenza. This systematic literature review seeks to examine public awareness of hand hygiene as a simple measure in the prevention of communicable diseases.
An online search of the SCOPUS database, cross-referenced with the Science Direct and Pub Med databases using pre-determined inclusion and exclusion key terms relating to the subject, yielded 99 results in total with 94 being included in the final review. Of these, the majority were carried out in less economically-developed countries particularly in Africa and Asia. Schools and food businesses emerged as the predominant locations used for most of the studies followed by rural villages with young children and food handlers being the most common research subjects followed by mothers. The systematic review concludes that there is a gap between knowledge, practice and compliance. A multimodal intervention approach through the provision of hygiene education and the implementation of tailored interventions were identified as key factors in improving hand hygiene behaviours and compliance within a target population, however further research is needed to determine the lasting impact.