Integrating face washing into a school-based, handwashing behavior change program to prevent trachoma in Turkana, Kenya

Summary

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness, and facial cleanliness has been associated with reduced odds of trachomatous inflammation and ‘Chlamydia trachomatis’ infection; however, there is little evidence on how to drive this behaviour change at scale.

This study reports on the results of a programme integrating face washing into a school-based handwashing promotion programme in Turkana County, Kenya. Face washing during handwashing events and trachoma knowledge was significantly higher in intervention than control schools up to 20 months after the intervention. The results suggest that achieving the “F” (face washing) of the WHO’s SAFE strategy for trachoma prevention may be possible in part through school-based programmes.