title: How clean is the home environment?: a tool to assess home hygiene.
abstract: The role of the home environment in the transmission of infectious diseases has been well described in the developing world but has received less attention in developed countries. An increasing focus on home hygiene has emerged in debates regarding the use of antimicrobial products in the home and the potential for development of resistance and in discussions regarding "when is clean too clean" and "what is clean." Studies are clearly needed to further explicate the role of the home in the spread of infectious agents, but before these can be conducted, adequate measurement tools are essential. This article describes extensive psychometric testing undertaken to develop valid and reliable methods and tools to measure home hygiene and focuses on a neighborhood that was primarily Spanish speaking in New York City. The Home Hygiene Assessment Tool described in this article can be used by clinicians and researchers to further elucidate the role of the home environment in the prevention and control of infections.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical and Therapeutic Research, Columbia University School of Nursing, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. ell23@columbia.edu
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gomez-Duarte
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Qureshi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kain
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cablish
mesh_terms: D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D009519:New York City; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires