Shorter handwashing at school than at home: perceived environmental factors

Handwashing after toilet use is an important hygiene practice, but the school environment in which children wash their hands has received comparatively little attention. This study examined perceived differences in handwashing duration between school and home and reasons for shorter handwashing at school among schoolchildren.

A cross-sectional, anonymous, web-based questionnaire was administered to elementary and junior high school students in Niigata, Japan. Handwashing practices, perceived school-home differences in handwashing duration, reasons for shorter handwashing at school, and desired improvements to school toilets were assessed. Exploratory adenosine triphosphate, diphosphate, and monophosphate (A3) measurements of hands (n = 4) and restroom surfaces were conducted as complementary assessments.

Among 195 participants with available data, 43 (22.1%) reported shorter handwashing at school than at home. Among 153 participants with available handwashing-duration data and a definite school-home comparison, the shorter group reported a significantly shorter duration than the not-shorter group (median [interquartile range], 15.0 s [10.0-20.0] vs. 20.0 s [10.0-30.0]; p = 0.014). Concern about other people (33.3%) and short break times (28.6%) were the most frequently reported reasons for shorter handwashing. Cleanliness and hygiene was the most frequently requested improvement. In the exploratory hand A3 assessment, values decreased after handwashing and drying but remained above the manufacturer's reference value in all four participants.

Some schoolchildren perceived shorter handwashing at school than at home, most often for social and time-related reasons. These findings suggest that social, temporal, and physical school conditions merit attention alongside individual hygiene education.