title: Evaluation of students' social hand washing knowledge, practices, and skills in a university setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Handwashing is an effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrhea and acute respiratory infections. This study aimed to evaluate the Turkish University students' social hand washing knowledge, practices, skills and related factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  All existing 1st year students in the Medical and Educational Faculty, plus all existing 2nd and 3rd year students in the Medical Faculty of Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey, from April to May, 2010, were eligible for the study. Participants filled in a questionnaire. The questionnaire tested the students' social hand washing knowledge (8 questions), practices (21 questions), and skills (10 questions) and it was prepared using previously published studies. Participants received 1 point for each correct answer provided. Final scores were calculated by summing up the points from all questions in the particular section divided by the number of questions in this section and multiplied by 100. The Family Affluence Scale was used to determine a socioeconomic status (SES).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all 303 students participated in this study. Participants' age (+/- SD) was 20.1 +/- 1.6 and the age range was between 18 and 32. Sixty two point seven percent of the participants were women. Forty four point nine percent of the participants were medical students. Fifty one point eight percent of the participants were in low SES. Twenty seven point four percent of the participants wash their hands less than 5 times a day. main reason for skipping hand washing was the participants' belief of 'no need' (63.7%). The mean scores (+/- SD) of participants' hand washing knowledge, practices, and skills were 71.2 +/- 20.7, 60.3 +/- 13.4 and 79.7 +/- 18.4, respectively. All scores were significantly higher in women. A multivariate analysis showed that gender was the main factor affecting all scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increasing quantity and/or quality of available campus based public health educational programs, creating hand-hygiene promotion programs to the general public and using the findings from this study are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Pamukkale University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Denizli, Turkey. aergin@pamukkale.edu.tr
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ergin
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bostanci
authors.forename: Ozgür
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Onal
authors.forename: Ali Ihsan
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ergin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult