Address context-specific motivators and barriers to ensure lasting behavior change.

 FHI360 researchers highlight the latest evidence on hand hygiene behavior change using evidence from the latest Hand Hygiene Research Summary published by the Global Handwashing Partnership.


Address context-specific motivators and barriers to ensure lasting behavior change





Good behavior change programming goes beyond knowledge and education, rather good program design understands the barriers and enablers of hand hygiene behavior.

Several studies in the 2022 report highlight the need for sustainable interventions for lasting behavior change.

Overall, the 2022 Hand Hygiene Research Summary emphasizes what many of us already know: Increased knowledge of hand hygiene practices does not automatically lead to improved hand hygiene behaviors. While improvements have been made to go beyond health education programs, the latest evidence emphasizes that more should be done to promote hand hygiene behavior change in different contexts.

The research for the use of emotional motivators as a determinant for sustained behavior change is promising. Health-related motivators are a good catalyst to raise perception of susceptibility of disease. However, this needs to be paired with emotional motivators such as the desires to nurture and have group affiliation. Furthermore, nudges, environmental cues, and continued messaging are necessary to maintain compliance. Influential role models also have the potential to uphold good hand hygiene as the norm by modeling positive behaviors and through the motivation for affiliation. For children especially, the involvement of parents and caregivers at home is necessary to reinforce hand hygiene education at school. This determinant should continue to characterize interventions in school, healthcare and public settings. Finally, the evidence shows the importance of interventions that promote long-term behavior change through sustained activities.

The 2022 Hand Hygiene Research Summary shows growing understanding that hand hygiene promotion efforts must move beyond awareness to long term behavior change. As we celebrate this unofficial ‘hand hygiene awareness’ month and look toward the future, it is important that we build on the latest research and continue to address context-specific motivators and barriers to ensure lasting behavior change.

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