Jerusalem Handwashing Study (JHS)

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 3

Conditions: Illness Absenteeism; Handwashing Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Home component intervention; Behavioral: Preschool handwashing intervention program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00610376

JHS1

NIHP Doctoral Stipend [m-2-02]

Details and patient eligibility

About

The primary objective of this preschool intervention trial was to determine whether a hygiene program can promote handwashing and thereby reduce illness absenteeism.

Full description

Please see citations of published reports.

Enrollment: 1,029 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 4 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Preschool teachers of 3- and 4-year-old children in the state-run public system of the Jerusalem region, who were recommended by their supervisors as being likely to comply with the protocol.

Exclusion criteria

• Exposure to project during testing phase (N=1 preschool), preschool which included new Ethiopian immigrants who were unlikely to have phones or speak Hebrew (N=1 preschool)
• Project staff knew teachers personally and thought they would not comply with protocol (N=2 teachers).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,029 participants in 3 patient groups

1A

Experimental group

Description:

Preschools randomized to this group received a multicomponent intervention to improve handwashing behavior of the children. Children within the preschool intervention group were individually randomized to a home intervention or a home control intervention program. The children in this arm received the home intervention component.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Preschool handwashing intervention program

Behavioral: Home component intervention

2

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group did not receive any special treatment during the study, but did receive the intervention at the close of the study

Treatment:

Behavioral: Preschool handwashing intervention program

1B

Experimental group

Description:

Preschools randomized to this group received a multicomponent intervention to improve handwashing behavior of the children. Children within the preschool intervention group were individually randomized to a home intervention or a home control intervention program. The children in this arm received the home control component.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Preschool handwashing intervention program

Behavioral: Home component intervention