Elementary students are easily guided to practice good hand hygiene habits. Teachers provide hand sanitizer before leaving for lunch, can monitor restroom hand washing after recess, and can influence hand washing after certain group activities.
However, when students graduate to middle school and high school, teacher influence decreases along with good hand washing practices.
In a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control, it was found that just 58% of female and 48% of male middle and high school students washed their hands after using the bathroom.
Of these, only 33% of the females and 8% of the males used soap. Yuck!
Studies show having signage in restrooms increases proper hand washing. Unfortunately, many hand washing posters currently available are geared toward younger ages.
However, there are a few posters available online that are more appropriate for older students. One is the “One Trillion Germs" poster which can be downloaded from the CDC. It graphically emphasizes the need to wash hands after using the restroom.
Kutol also offers a few teen-appropriate hand wash signage for downloading:
But to really influence these older students, you might want to consider posting humorous memes such as these:
