The effectiveness of sign prompts to increase hand washing behaviors in restrooms.

This research investigated the effects of descriptive prompts on the hand washing behaviors of restroom patrons. Outcome data were collected from two female and two male restrooms on a university campus. All four restrooms experienced three conditions: (1) baseline (no intervention); (2) posters prompting hand washing were posted; and (3) the display of posters focusing on the transmission and seriousness of influenza (“the flu”) along with the previous hand washing prompt. Results suggest that females wash their hands more often than males. It appeared that the initial prompts increased hand washing for both genders in only one building tested. However, the second treatment (i.e., the sign with the flu warning) returned most conditions to near or below baseline. Prompts may be effective for increasing hand washing in specific settings. The type of prompt utilized should be further investigated, as fear-arousing health-related messages may inadvertently decrease the desired behavior.