Evaluation of effect of combining medical treatments with education on hand washing knowledge and behavior among primary school students

Objective To understand the effect of combining medical treatments with education on students' hand washing,and to provide evidence for the promotion of the health education model of combining medical treatments and education.Methods A total of 1 239 primary school students of third grade from 15 migrant children's schools were divided into study group and control group.The study group adopted the mode of combining medical treatments with education to carry out hand-washing education with unified courseware,and the effect was evaluated after the intervention.Results After intervention,the awareness rate of hand washing knowledge of the students in the study group(92.4%) was significantly higher than that before intervention(79.5%),and the difference was statistically significant(x2 =39.750,P<0.05);during one week,the reported rates of washing hands before meals,after toilet and after getting home were 93.1%,94.1%,86.1%,respectively,higher than those before intervention(89.4%,89.0%,79.1%);the standard rate of "using hand washing supplies","six-step washing method rubbing hands time" "turning off the faucet method" and "drying hands method" were 95.9%,83.0%,87.6%,88.1%,92.0%,respectively,higher than those before intervention(49.0%,41.7%,44.0%,17.1%,20.5%),difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);while the intervention effect on reluctance to wash was not obvious;The reported rate of knowledge and behavior of hand washing in the study group were higher than those of the control group,the reported rate of hindering the hand washing in the study group was lower than that of the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion It is effective to carry out hand washing intervention through combination medical treatments with education in primary school and such model is an effective way for primary school student health education.