Week 7

Hi everyone! Here is the background for my research project and I've included more before and after photos of my hands with the Glo Germ lotion under the UV light. It's more visible in person, but you can still see where the Bath and Body Works soap didn't completely remove the lotion on my fingernails.

What is currently known about my topic, is that hand washing has been promoted as an effective preventive measure against various health-related issues, including diarrheal diseases, undernutrition, and neglected tropical diseases. While being a simple means of prevention and protection, hand washing has also proven to be time effective and cost effective. Although hand washing has been proven to be an effective first line of defense against bacteria, the types of soap recommended and the ingredients in the soaps is a topic that is still debated as well as the type of hand washing techniques and procedures. This includes alcohol based hand rubs versus antimicrobial soaps and WHO recommends a 6-step technique, while the CDC recommends a 3-step technique. Both techniques focus on covering all surfaces of the hands. The topic of implementing automated timed sinks in schools has also been a discussion, since children are more susceptible to spreading and obtaining bacteria. It is important to expand on this current knowledge because new soaps are being made and new bacteria/sicknesses/viruses react differently to different soaps/methods of hand washing. Hand washing methods have recently been specifically looked at during 2020 at the proliferation of COVID-19. During the beginning stages of the pandemic where appropriate medicine had not yet been utilized, hand washing was still a large support in the prevention and cross contamination of bacteria in hospitals.

My research question is, based on the different types of soaps and handwashing techniques that are used and through observation of hand/fingernail cleanliness by UV light after application of Glo Germ lotion, which type of soap and handwashing techniques proves to be the most effective at eliminating as much bacteria as possible? My hypothesis is, if the WHO hand washing technique combined with Hibiclens soap is utilized, then the amount of bacteria discovered on the hands will be less than using a non antibacterial soap combined with 20 seconds of general handwashing. The results that I may discover are whether or not a foaming, antibacterial soap, a bar soap made of natural ingredients, or an antibacterial bar soap is more effective and whether or not washing your hands for a longer period of time and more vigorously is more effective at decreasing bacteria counts.