The Centerfor Disease Control and Prevention estimates that since 2010, flu relatedhospitalizations among children younger than 5 years of age range from 7,000 to26,000 in the United States with some resulting in death.

UKCooperative Extension Service SNAP-Ed Assistant partnered with Bell CountyFamily Resource Directors to educate primary students on the importance ofwashing their hands with hot soapy water. Reading a book called Germs, Germs,Germs from the LEAP curriculum, the students learned that germs are easily passedfrom one person to another, that you can only see germs under a microscope and theywere taught the correct hand washing technique and how long they should washtheir hands.

After the studentsparticipated in a hands on activity using glow germ powder that glows under ablack light to show how well they had washed their hands, 100% of the studentsshowed improvement in their hand washing technique. A teacher stated” sincethis program I have seen a big difference in my students wanting to wash theirhands more often”.