A clinical trial evaluation of handwashing products and educational resources to improve hand hygiene in paediatric patients and school children.

Introduction: It is widely acknowledged that good hand hygiene (HH) is an important non-pharmaceutical method for reducing the transmission of infectious diseases. Children are at high risk of infection due to their immature immune systems. Hospital transmitted infections are a cause for concern worldwide, with poor HH suggested to be responsible for up to 20% of cases.

The longitudinal effect of disseminating handwashing public health education to children in India via co-created, culturally relevant resources.

Infectious diseases are a leading cause of death for children from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), often due to inadequate hand-hygiene. This study evaluates culturally relevant educational resources as a vehicle to disseminate the importance of handwashing amongst children in India. Employing a participatory action research (PAR) model and mixed methods, this follow-up longitudinal study evaluates a set of innovate educational handwashing resources and workshops specifically co-created for use in the State of Gujarat, and how they aid teachers in the teaching of hand-hygiene over a 3 year period.

Translational research in action: The use of technology to disseminate information to parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper addresses the research problem of how to reach, engage and support parents in home-educating young children during the first national COVID-19 lockdown in England (March-June 2020), which was addressed through using technology. An internet-mediated research (IMR) approach is used to investigate the effectiveness of using technology and translational research as strategies for disseminating a rapidly produced digital guide, for promoting play-based learning at home, to parents. Lockdown with the closure of early years provision led to parents finding themselves isolated at home with young children.

Improving young children's handwashing behaviour and understanding of germs: The impact of A Germ's Journey educational resources in schools and public spaces.

Context: Effective handwashing can prevent the spread of germs, including Covid-19. However, young children can lack a fundamental understanding of germ transfer. A Germ's Journey educational resources were designed to support young children in learning about germs and handwashing.

Evaluating approaches to designing effective Co-Created hand-hygiene interventions for children in India, Sierra Leone and the UK.

Effective and culturally appropriate hand-hygiene education is essential to promote health-related practices to control and prevent diseases such as Diarrhoea, Ebola and COVID-19. In this paper we outline and evaluate the Co-Creation processes underpinning a handwashing intervention for young children (A Germ's Journey) developed and delivered in India, Sierra Leone and the UK, and consider the implications surrounding Imperialist/Colonial discourse and the White Saviour Complex. The paper focuses both on the ways Co-Creation was conceptualised by our collaborators in all three countries and the catalysts and challenges encountered.