Jerusalem Handwashing Study

A Controlled Trial to Assess the Effect of a Health Promotion Intervention on Hygiene Behavior and Illness Absenteeism in Jerusalem Preschools

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00610376

Acronym

JHS

Enrollment

1029

Registered

2008-02-08

Start date

2000-09-30

Completion date

2001-12-31

Last updated

2015-09-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Handwashing Behavior, Illness Absenteeism

Keywords

Handwashing, Randomized controlled trial, Cluster randomization, Community intervention trial, Disease prevention, Pediatric communicable disease, Preschool, Illness absenteeism

Brief summary

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

Detailed description

Please see citations of published reports.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALPreschool handwashing intervention program

This preschool-based intervention program used a multi-pronged approach that included elements aimed at preschool staff, children, and school nurses, as well as hygienic changes to the classroom environment.

BEHAVIORALHome component intervention

The home component was intended to reinforce handwashing practices through education in the home. It consisted of a video, a magnet, and a card.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

3 Years to 4 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

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).

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Illness absenteeism	Each school day during study period

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Handwashing behavior	Observational visits in classrooms (3-4)

Countries

Israel

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026