According to the CDC the best way to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to social isolate and wash your hands frequently especially when being out in a public place.  The Kentucky State University SNAP-Ed Nutrition Program has been teaching this concept in our classes since the inception of the program in 2017, and our classes for both adults and children has a class on hand washing in each curriculum.   Before we started classes at Edgewater Recovery Centers in Rowan County, the one thing the owners requested was we teach their clients to wash their hand especially in the men’s facility.   Statistics show that only 31% of males wash their hands after using the bathroom compared to 65% of women according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  

Rowan County SNAP-Ed teaches hand washing using glo-germ an odorless lotion or powder which glows brightly when exposed to ultraviolet light and safely and graphically demonstrates to students and adults alike how germs are spread.  Here’s an example of hand washing techniques that’s taught in our Teen Cuisine curriculum before the first cooking lesson:

Wash Your Hands! 

 Start with warm running water and soap. 

 Lather up all parts of your hands, including the back of the hands, wrists, around the nails, and between fingers. 

 Rub hands together for 20 seconds — about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday!” two times. 

Rinse well under water and pat dry with a towel.

Evaluation of the Teen Cuisine class taught at the Rowan County Middle School Enrichment Classes during the first semester shows a 40% increase in students washing their hands from the pretest to the post test.  Adult classes report shows that during the entry questions 70% of adults were meeting the recommendation of washing hands before they prepared food, and had improved to 82% after the classes.  The spread of the Coronavirus has taught us all how important hand washing is, and not just wetting your hands, but actually washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to stop the spread of germs. Hopefully, for all it’s 100% hand washing several times a day, especially after being in public places, before cooking and after bathroom use!

Photo and Hand washing technique from the Teen Cuisine Curriculum, Virginia Cooperative Extension