Canadian Moms Need To Do A Better Job Of Encouraging Hygiene Before School Lunch

A survey of mothers of school-age children has found that only about half of Canadian moms taught their children to wash their hands before eating lunch in school. Moms generally got good grades for encouraging good hygiene practices: nearly nine out of ten said they teach kids to cough into a sleeve and to wash hands after using the washroom. But they need to do a better job of encouraging proper hygiene before mealtime. That means washing hands before eating, but also means not putting food directly on desks or cafeteria tables. Practices like that “can help to protect children against many illnesses," according to the chairman of the Canadian Public Health Association. The 2012 Lysol Back to School Study surveyed 14,000 mothers of five- to 12-year-olds in 14 countries.