Schools take a timely health lesson

Zhong Huang (left) and Zara Ellis play it safe with simulated water sneezes during the SneezeSafe cold and flu hygiene lesson at Bucklands Beach Intermediate.

As we head into the winter season, Clinical Associate Prof. of Virology at Canterbury Health Dr Lance Jennings says from France that new survey findings are a stark reminder that NZers are not taking cold and flu hygiene seriously enough.

He urges intermediate schools that received the free Kleenex SneezeSafe teaching kits to run the new 30-minute lesson provided for health classes and help NZ families and communities limit the transfer of respiratory viruses this winter.

A new Kleenex SneezeSafe survey* reveals that 41 per cent of year seven and eight children clear mucus onto the ground at least sometimes, and by the time they are midway through high school, the incidence lifts to 46 per cent of year 11 to year 13 students, and more significantly, 68 per cent of boys in that age group.

The survey also found:

• Of children who play grass or court sports in winter, 83 per cent would play sport with a cold or flu, and of these, 17 per cent would clear the mucus from their nasal passages onto the grass sports field or sports court at least sometimes.

• 92 per cent of year seven to year 13 students have seen so-called ‘snot-rocket’ or ‘hoicking’ behaviour, with 46 per cent having seen professional sports people doing it.

• 38 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls think it’s okay to clear with a snot-rocket or hoick on grass sports fields, at the beach, in the sea, in swimming pools or on sports courts.

Responding to the findings, the new Kleenex SneezeSafe teaching kit has been re-designed for intermediate-age children and extended to include a new ‘S NOT SPORT message: ‘Clear mucus from your nose into a tissue before sport or at the half-time break or during time-outs, but not on the field, pitch or court. Watch and learn from the Silver Ferns – they know what to do.’

Dr Jennings explains that there are certain sport and leisure situations where clearing mucus onto the ground is less offensive, such as a cyclist clearing onto the roadside or a tramper clearing into the bush.

However Dr Jennings supports the new ‘S NOT SPORT message in the Kleenex SneezeSafe lesson encouraging children not to clear mucus onto grass sports fields, beaches or
swimming pools, where people potentially come into contact with infectious material.

The annual Kleenex Sneeze Safe programme, now in its fifth year, reinforces the work of teachers and Public Health Nurses in communities, aiming to lift standards of cold and flu hygiene practice among NZ children.

The messaging has the support of the ministry of health and has been designed by teachers as part of the health curriculum.

Kleenex has sent teaching kits to all NZ intermediate schools and encourages all other schools to download teaching materials at www.sneezesafe.co.nz

In a short, engaging lesson, students experience the spread of simulated sneezes using water spray, witness ‘infectious’ hand-shakes using glitter, watch a satirical DVD featuring character Muggins Coldcrotch, and interact with the ‘virtual sneeze’ on-line.

Students learn to trap a sneeze so that cold and flu virus particles don’t enter the air for others to breathe. They learn to:

• TRAP a sneeze with a tissue. If caught short without a tissue, trap with the inside of the elbow or with cupped hands covering nose and mouth;

• BIN the tissue after using it once;

• WASH hands after sneezing into them.

As consultant to the World Health Organisation Dr Jennings sees many health education initiatives, but he believes NZ’s Kleenex SneezeSafe programme is a unique model worldwide.

“The initiative now has four years of fine-tuning behind it, and a high level of support from education and health professionals throughout the country”, he says.

* Survey conducted in March 2009 by Colmar Brunton with sample size: 404 children from year seven to year 13.