~ 163 ~  ISSN Print: 2394-7500 ISSN Online: 2394-5869 Impact Factor: 5.2 IJAR 2015; 1(9): 163-165 www.allresearchjournal.com Received: 24-06-2015 Accepted: 26-07-2015 Soumya Sonalika Lecturer, Dept. of Community Health Nursing, Lord Jagannath Mission’sCollege of Nursing, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Correspondence: Soumya Sonalika Lord Jagannath Mission’s College of Nursing, Plot No. 228/237, Sector – A, Zone – B, Mancheswar Industrial Estate, Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar - 751010.Odisha, India. Assess knowledge level among the primary school children regarding handwashing Soumya Sonalika Abstract A descriptive study was undertaken on 30 primary school children selected by simple random sampling technique in U.G.U.P School, Chakeisihani, Bhubaneswar, Odisha to determine the level of knowledge regarding hand washing among the primary school children (8-11 years). Data was collected through structured questionnaire and collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that highest percentage of the primary school children were in the age group of 10-11 years (36.6%) and majority were female 60% among the school children 93.3% were Hindus. Majority 46.6% of the parents of primary school children had +2 or intermediate or diploma back ground in the educational status. Majority of the parents 46.6% were businessman by occupation and belong to middle class socio-economic status. 56.7% of children were from urban area. The level of knowledge of the primary school children reveals the majority of respondents 53% had moderate knowledge. 27% had inadequate knowledge regarding hand washing technique. Keywords: Handwashing, Primary school children, Knowledge 1. Introduction A nation’s health is measured by the health of its children. In developing countries every year nearly 12 million children die before their fifth birthday. According to the new figures from UNICEF 1,400 children under five still die every day from diarrhoeal diseases caused by a lack of safe water, sanitation and basic hygiene. Global Handwashing Day (GHD) takes place on October 15of each year. The campaign was dedicated to raising awareness of handwashing with soap as a key approach to disease prevention. The theme mainly focussed on school children. It helps to promote handwashing and raise awareness and plays a great role in child survival and overall community health. On 5 th May, WHO celebrates “Save lives; clean your hands” initiative. By cleaning hands in the right way and at the right time, WHO experts maintain “one can help reduce healthcare- associated infections and save one’s life”. It is extremely important for everybody because it’s through our hands that we pick up different germs, become infected, and spread disease. Handwashing at critical times including before eating or preparing food and after using the toilet can reduce diarrhoea rates by almost 40 per cent. Handwashing with soap can reduce the incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI’s) by around 23 per cent. Handwashing can be a critical measure in controlling pandemic outbreaks of respiratory infections. Several studies carried out during the 2006 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) suggest that washing hands more than 10 times a day can cut the spread of the respiratory virus by 55 per cent. A study was conducted on nosocomial infections in the paediatric intensive care units (PICU) in the west. The common nosocomial infections found in PICU were infection in the bloodstream (20-30%), lower respiratory tract infection (20-35%), and urinary tract infection (15-20%). The study findings showed that the nosocomial infections rates can be reduced up to 50% by hand washing and proper asepsis during procedures. A cross-sectional study was conducted on environmental risk factor for diarrhoea among 1064 male school children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, through random sampling method. Self administered questions were issued to parents through schools. Results showed that 14.9% of the children had diarrhoea during the previous month of study. The main risk factors were the number of children under five years of age living in the same house (OR per child 1.34%, International Journal of Applied Research 2015; 1(9): 163-165