Development and effects of a hand-washing program using role-playing for preschool children

Abstract

Purpose: A hand-washing program using role-playing was developed for preschool children and tested to verify its usefulness. Methods: The participants were 46 preschool children (experimental group, 23; control group, 23). Data were collected from August 7, 2017 to September 20, 2017. The first posttest was carried out on the day after the initial intervention was completed, and the second posttest was performed after a month. Data were analyzed using the x 2 test, Fisher exact test, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney test, and Friedman test. Results: In the experimental group, the frequency of practicing hand-washing was significantly higher than in the control group on the next day (z=-4.94, p < .001) and after a month (z=-3.15, p=.002). The accuracy of hand-washing was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group on the next day (z=-4.02, p < .001) and after a month (z=-3.86, p < .001). Conclusion: The hand-washing program developed in this study was found to be an effective intervention strategy for improving the frequency and accuracy of hand-washing among preschool children.