The challenge
It has been long understood that simple hygiene habits like washing hands with soap can contribute to the prevention of communicable diseases.
Globally, a lack of basic hygiene causes a wide range of illnesses. One billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Diseases such as diarrhoea lead to around 2 million deaths every year. Poor oral health can lead to gum disease and infection.
Much of this is preventable by incorporating simple habits into everyday routines, such as washing hands with soap before eating and after using to the toilet, and brushing teeth day and night with a fluoride toothpaste.
Making good-quality products such as soap and toothpaste available to consumers is the crucial starting point. Yet products alone are often not enough if people do not change their habits. Understanding what triggers improved habits lies at the heart of making sustainable improvements to hygiene.
Therefore, across our range of programmes on handwashing and oral health, the focus is on understanding consumer behaviour and achieving changes in everyday habits.
Read more about these programmes.
