October 10, 2019

New campaign posters are available for free downloads or ordering from CDC’s campaign webpage.

By: David M. Berendes, PhD, MSPH, Epidemiologist at CDC

This Global Handwashing Day (October 15, 2019), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is launching Life is Better with Clean Hands, a new handwashing campaign designed to motivate adults to make clean hands part of their daily lives.

Keeping hands clean with soap and water is one of the most important things everyone can do to stay healthy. Studies have shown that handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu.

This campaign is aimed at adults, with special emphasis on parents and caregivers. Materials are designed to raise awareness about the importance of handwashing at key times in both homes and public areas, such as before cooking or after using the bathroom.

Through Life is Better with Clean Hands, CDC aims to:

•  Motivate adults to wash hands during key times to prevent the spread of germs and help protect them, their children, and other loved ones.
• Help adults feel confident that they can overcome obstacles to handwashing.
• Remind adults of the importance of washing hands after using the bathroom and while preparing food.
• Encourage parents to be handwashing role models for their children.
• Encourage parents to teach their children how and when to wash their hands.

Life is Better with Clean Hands materials are available for free download on CDC’s campaign webpage. Partners, organizations, and individuals can download, distribute, and share campaign materials to raise awareness about handwashing in their communities. Health promotion materials include:

Visit CDC’s campaign webpage to download Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram graphics to share on your social media platforms.

• Free posters
• Fact sheets
• Social media graphics and sample posts
• Web banners
• Stickers and window and mirror clings
• Radio public service announcements
• Sample newsletter announcements

In addition to campaign resources, new and updated content is available on CDC’s website. New content includes pages encouraging handwashing for the whole family and handwashing in the kitchen. CDC offers a free web content syndication service that allows you to add content from CDC’s Handwashing website to your own website without having to maintain or update it. When CDC updates content, those updates appear immediately on your site. Visit the CDC Public Health Media Library for more information.

For more information on Life is Better with Clean Hands, a campaign promotion toolkit, free posters, and other resources for promoting handwashing, visit www.cdc.gov/handwashing.

Category: Community Forum