STOPFLU: Is it Possible to Reduce the Number of Days Off in Office Work by Improved Hand-hygiene?

NCT00821509 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: KTL460-8
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 683
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Improved hand hygiene is known to reduce transmission of both respiratory (RTI) and gastrointestinal infections (GTI) under "semi-closed" conditions such as hospitals, day-care centres and schools. It is not known if similar interventions would have the desired effect in a regular office work. This study is aiming to investigate this possibility by recruiting volunteers from several companies in the Helsinki Region. The two intervention groups will receive detailed instructions e.g. for proper coughing and sneezing, and for regular cleaning of hands with either standard liquid soap or with alcohol-based gel rubbing. Third group will serve as the control and is advised not to change their previous behaviour in this respect. The participants will report weekly possible RTI or GTI symptoms and related days off through internet. The study is planned to run about 18 months to cover the seasonal variation of the epidemics of the causative different viruses.

Conditions

Respiratory Infection; Gastroenteritis

Keywords

virus infection; hygiene; transmission; intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Cumulative Number of Reported Days-off Episodes in the Arm Due to Own Infectious Disease Over the Total Number of Follow-up Weeks in the Arm

  Participants reported weekly through an internet questionnaire symptoms of respiratory tract (RTI) or gastrointestinal tract infections (GTI) as well as whether they were working (if expected) or not, daily for the previous calendar week. Individual weekly reports were combined in a single continuum and successive days with both symptoms and absence from work were designated as days-off episodes due to own infectious disease. Number of these episodes in each trial arm was calculated and for the respective proportion, was divided by the total number of weekly reports collected in the arm.

  At the end of the entire study period (16 months)

• Cumulative Number of Reported Episodes of Infectious Disease in the Arm Over the Total Number of Follow-up Weeks in the Arm

  Participants reported weekly through an internet questionnaire symptoms of respiratory tract (RTI) or gastrointestinal tract infections (GTI). Individual weekly reports were combined in a single continuum and successive days with either RTI or GTI symptoms were designated as disease episodes due. Numbers of RTI, GTI and either episodes in each trial arm were calculated, and for the respective proportion, were divided by the total number of weekly reports collected in the arm.

  At the end of the study period (16 months)

Study Arms (3)

Hand washing

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Instructions for proper coughing and sneezing, and for reduced hand shaking; frequent hand washing in office and at home

Behavioral: Hand washing

Disinfectant rubbing

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Instructions for proper coughing and sneezing, and for reduced hand shaking; frequent rubbing of hands with alcohol containing disinfectant in office and at home

Behavioral: Disinfectant rubbing

Control

NO INTERVENTION

No change in hygiene behaviour

Interventions

Hand washing BEHAVIORAL

Instructions for proper coughing and sneezing, and for reduced hand shaking, frequent hand washing in office and at home

Hand washing

Disinfectant rubbing BEHAVIORAL

Instructions for proper coughing and sneezing, and for reduced hand shaking; frequent rubbing of hands with alcohol containing disinfectant in office and at home

Disinfectant rubbing

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Volunteers working in defined units

You may not qualify if:

• Persons with open wounds or chronic eczema in hands

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare: lead
• Finnish Work Environment Fund: collaborator
• Finnish Institute of Occupational Health: collaborator
• Berner Oy: collaborator
• Farmos Oy: collaborator
• Kesko Oyj: collaborator
• Nordea Bank Finland Plc: collaborator
• Outokumpu: collaborator
• Outokumpu Technogy Oyj: collaborator
• Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta (SOK): collaborator
• S-Pankki: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

National Institute for Health and Wellfare (THL)

Helsinki, 00271, Finland

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Jefferson T, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, van Driel ML, Bawazeer GA, Jones MA, Hoffmann TC, Clark J, Beller EM, Glasziou PP, Conly JM. Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 30;1(1):CD006207. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6.

  PMID: 36715243 DERIVED

• Jefferson T, Del Mar CB, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, Bawazeer GA, van Driel ML, Jones MA, Thorning S, Beller EM, Clark J, Hoffmann TC, Glasziou PP, Conly JM. Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Nov 20;11(11):CD006207. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub5.

  PMID: 33215698 DERIVED

• Hovi T, Ollgren J, Savolainen-Kopra C. Intensified hand-hygiene campaign including soap-and-water wash may prevent acute infections in office workers, as shown by a recognized-exposure -adjusted analysis of a randomized trial. BMC Infect Dis. 2017 Jan 9;17(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s12879-016-2157-z.

  PMID: 28068912 DERIVED

• Hovi T, Ollgren J, Haapakoski J, Savolainen-Kopra C. Development of a prognostic model based on demographic, environmental and lifestyle information for predicting incidences of symptomatic respiratory or gastrointestinal infection in adult office workers. Trials. 2016 Nov 16;17(1):545. doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1668-7.

  PMID: 27852324 DERIVED

• Hovi T, Ollgren J, Haapakoski J, Amiryousefi A, Savolainen-Kopra C. Exposure to persons with symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infection and relative risk of disease: self-reported observations by controls in a randomized intervention trial. Trials. 2015 Apr 17;16:168. doi: 10.1186/s13063-015-0691-4.

  PMID: 25879224 DERIVED

• Savolainen-Kopra C, Haapakoski J, Peltola PA, Ziegler T, Korpela T, Anttila P, Amiryousefi A, Huovinen P, Huvinen M, Noronen H, Riikkala P, Roivainen M, Ruutu P, Teirila J, Vartiainen E, Hovi T. STOPFLU: is it possible to reduce the number of days off in office work by improved hand-hygiene? Trials. 2010 Jun 4;11:69. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-11-69.

  PMID: 20525328 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Respiratory Tract Infections; Gastroenteritis; Virus Diseases

Interventions

Hand Disinfection

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hand Hygiene; Hygiene; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Limitations and Caveats

In a pre-study interview, 90% stated "when I have cold I usually come to work if I only can". Participants in the intervention arms, but not those of the control arm, were advised to stay home when sick: possible contribution to outcome measure 1.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Tapani Hovi, Project Leader
• Organization: National Institute for Health and Welfare

tapani.hovi@thl.fi

+358 400 517299

Study Officials

• Tapani Hovi, MD PhD

  National Public Health Institute, Finland

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Project Leader

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 12, 2009
• First Posted: January 13, 2009
• Study Start: January 1, 2009
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2010
• Study Completion: December 1, 2011
• Last Updated: March 8, 2012
• Results First Posted: March 8, 2012

Record last verified: 2012-02

Locations

FI (1)