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Navy recruits who were ordered to wash
their hands at least five times a day saw a decrease in respiratory
illnesses of 45% from the year before, according to a study
conducted by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC).
The crowding and close contact military
personnel experience, coupled with the high intensity and
stress associated with their training, likely contribute to
their high rate of respiratory
infections.
Respiratory illness is a common cause
of lost time from work in the US and "the most common
cause of lost time from duty among young adults in the military,"
the report indicates.
Handwashing
has long been recognized as a simple way to cut the risk of
spreading certain infections such as the common cold.
In the study, Operation Stop Cough was
implemented at the Great Lakes Recruit Training Command in
Illinois, beginning in September 1996. During the study, about
40,000 recruits were instructed by their commanding officer
to wash their hands five times each day. Soap dispensers were
installed and recruits were lectured monthly on the importance
of handwashing.
After 1998, the researchers reviewed respiratory
illness rates based on trips to the base's infirmary. Data
from 1997 and 1998 was compared with rates recorded in the
year before Operation Stop Cough went into action. The investigators
found the rates of respiratory illness in 1997 and 1998 were
45% lower than
that of 1996.
Despite the program's success, the authors
point out that handwashing proved to be a difficult chore
for the recruits -- almost half reported that they did not
have time to wash five times a day due to their busy training
schedules.
American Journal
of Preventive Medicine August 2001;21
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