Chld Health and Well Being. 'Healthy Hands Promotion'

Child Health and Well Being  
‘Healthy Hands’ Promotion



Introduction
The author of this report is a Deputy Manager within a non-profit making Early Years setting with charitable status. Currently, 42 children between the ages of 2-5 are registered to attend.
In the first few weeks of the autumn term of September 2010, it was noted that there were 2 cases of impetigo (bacterial skin infection), and 3 cases of sickness and diarrhoea within the setting. As a result, staff observed that some children and parents (see appendix 1) were not washing their hands after they had used the toilet. The children’s hand hygiene practices were a cause of concern for the team, who were not only aware of the speed in which this would spread infection, but of how this would ultimately impact on a child's learning and development.
The view that children’s health and wellbeing impacts on their development and learning, is not a new concept: 19th century Pioneer Margaret McMillian, founder of the first school clinic in 1908, and the first open air nursery in 1914, for example, sought to address not only the physical and educational needs of children, but also the need for a child to be healthy in order to be able to learn effectively.   She also identified that 'health' was linked to parental, community and school participation (MacLeod-Brudenell, 2004), and not just the 'medical model', which focussed predominately on diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
In line with McMillan's holistic view of health, the World Health Organisation (WHO, 1946) defined 'health' as: A state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity’ (cited in Dryden et al 2005 pg 18). This definition was further broadened through the Ottawa Charter for health promotion (WHO, 1986) when, despite opposition from the medical profession (Mahon 2010), health was described as ‘a resource for everyday life, not the object of living.....a positive...