Inconsistent Hygiene Habits in American Schools

Kids have never been fans of homework, but according to a survey of 500 kindergarten through fifth grade teachers, they're more likely to do homework than use hand soap when washing their hands.

NSF International (NSF) conducted a survey of teachers to learn more about the battle to beat germs in U.S. elementary schools. According to the results of the survey, NSF found that nearly half of elementary school teachers (42 percent) say it's more difficult to get students to use soap when washing their hands than it is to get them to do their homework, even though nearly all teachers (98 percent) talk to their students about hand washing.

Although hand washing is one of the easiest things that we can do to prevent the spread of illness, kids are kids and they don't always remember to wash their hands when they should. What this survey found is that teachers in this country are doing their best to help educate students about the importance of hand washing. A key part of this process is knowing where germs lurk and how proper hand washing can help fight the spread of illness.

Additional findings from NSF's survey include:

Kids get dirtier as they get older. A disturbing 39 percent of 4th – 5th grade teachers and 34 percent of 2nd – 3rd grade teachers report that their students are guilty of multiple bad hand washing habits such as not washing their hands before eating or after they use the bathroom, compared to 29 percent of K – 1st grade teachers.
Eighty-four percent of teachers say that parents send a sick child to school all or some of the time due to the fact that a child may be unable to stay at home.
Eighty-six percent of teachers clean classrooms themselves to supplement janitorial services in schools.
Eighty percent of teachers reported using hand sanitizing gels to help clean kids' hands.
Fourteen percent of teachers correctly identified the drinking fountain as one of the "germiest" surfaces in the school. A previous germ survey by NSF International found that the drinking fountain has the most germs of any surface in a school.

Importance of Handwashing

While these findings raise questions about hygiene, it is important to mention that there are resources available to help teachers and parents get kids excited about hand washing. Because kids often respond to entertaining, educational material, NSF International created the Scrub Club, an interactive, entertaining public service website that teaches kids how to properly wash their hands.

To learn more about proper hand washing, visit the Scrub Club website or contact the NSF Consumer Affairs Office at info@nsf.org.