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University of Central Florida

CDC Handwashing Posters: Are They Effective?

Logan Jordan

ENC1102

Professor Angela Orozco

April 7, 2024
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Introduction

The most important thing during my CNA licensing course wasn’t how much anatomy or

physiology I knew or even how well I could perform my skills (although important); instead,

how well I could wash my hands. In fact, if I

did one thing wrong while washing my hands at

the start of or throughout my licensing exam, I

instantly failed and had to reschedule at least

two weeks later to retake the exam. Clearly,

hand washing is extremely important to prevent

the spread of disease, but how can organizations

get that message across? I will examine how

effective the CDC hand-washing posters "One

Trillion Germs" and "Handwashing Is Your

Superpower!" are at convincing the general public to

wash their hands by analyzing their linguistic and

visual rhetoric.

This study will examine the linguistic and

visual elements of the CDC hand-washing posters to

understand how they communicate the importance of

handwashing to their genres’ audiences. But what are

these genres? Kerry Dirk states that genres “can be

thought of as categories of writing. These categories

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are based on what the writing is trying to do, as well as who it is written for and the context it is

written in (qtd. in Jacobson et al. 218). In my case, “Handwashing is Your Superpower!” is in a

genre targeted at kids and can be used in any general scenario. “One Trillion Germs” is in a

genre targeted at adults in a restroom setting. This analysis will utilize visual rhetoric

frameworks, as outlined by Jenae Cohn’s visual design elements, and genre analysis, focusing on

rhetorical moves, as discussed by Jacobson et al. These methodologies will provide insights into

how the posters' designs and language influence public behavior toward hand hygiene.

Understanding the effectiveness of public health posters, specifically those targeting hand

hygiene through visual and linguistic messaging, is crucial for improving public health responses

and communication strategies. This research aims to provide valuable insights into designing

more effective health communication materials.

Background and Significance

Handwashing is a critical preventive measure against the spread of diseases. As

previously stated, this study aims to evaluate how effectively the CDC's hand-washing posters

convey this message through their use of language and visual design. In other words, are these

posters proficient in their task, or could they be more effective? Given the proven efficacy of

handwashing, it's vital to assess the communication strategies used to promote this behavior.

After all, one of the first things we teach our children in their early years is to wash their hands.

Used the “potty”? Wash your hands. Played outside? Wash your hands. About to help cook?

Wash your hands. The posters "One Trillion Germs" and "Handwashing Is Your Superpower!"

target different audiences, employing specific linguistic and visual tactics. Analyzing these

strategies will reveal their success in engaging their desired audiences and encouraging hand
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hygiene practices. Despite widespread recognition of handwashing's importance, compliance

varies. For example, “One Trillion Germs” is clearly targeted at adults in a restroom setting. Yet,

even still, many adults don’t wash their hands after using the restroom, whether due to a time

crunch or any other reason.

This may be a gross generalization due to my limited experience; however, in my time at

the University of Central Florida, it seems most men using the restroom walk out without

washing their hands. Understanding the elements that make health communication materials

effective or ineffective can help address this issue.

This study will analyze the selected posters through the lens of visual rhetoric and genre

analysis, examining how these materials aim to influence behavior. Key sources will include

“Understanding Visual Rhetoric” by Jenae Cohn and “Make Your ‘Move’: Writing In Genres” by

Jacobson et al. Additionally, I will use Mallory Goff’s “Health Literacy and Its Effects: A Genre

Analysis of Patient Surveys.” This source is uniquely important in communicating lay ideas or

direct, easy-to-understand words and processes to lay people (common non-health professional

patients) (Smith 135). In this scenario, I have made sure that these posters are using lay-effective

language and ideas. For example, the posters could have sputtered words like “Handwashing,

through its mechanically and chemically mediated removal of pathogens, serves as an

indispensable prophylactic intervention in the mitigation of transmissible diseases' dissemination

vectors, thereby significantly curtailing morbidity and mortality rates associated with microbial

and viral infections.” A child walking down their third-grade hallway reading that poster would

not understand a word. For what it’s worth, it is unlikely a common adult in the restroom reading

that poster would understand, hence the importance of “Health Literacy and COVID-19:
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Implications for the ABE/ASE Classroom” by Ogrodnick and Feinberg. Here are some key terms

that are crucial to understand:

- Layperson: Someone who is not a member of a particular profession, in this case, the

health professional community.

- Rhetorical Moves: Parts of a text that carry out specific goals (Jacobson et al. 219).

It is crucial to note the lack of research on the rhetorical strategies behind handwashing

posters. By using Cohn's ideas on how visuals can persuade and Jacobson et al.'s insights into

how language can influence, this study aims to examine how these methods work together to

encourage people to practice better hand hygiene. Essentially, there's a need for more studies on

how the combination of visuals and words can effectively motivate people to wash their hands.

Research Design and Methods

The study will conduct a detailed visual and linguistic analysis of the posters, applying

the frameworks identified in the background. It will then assess the effectiveness of these

communications based on their potential to influence public behavior. One pitfall is that this

analysis is highly capable of being biased and subjective; however, I will do my absolute best to

maintain an objective standpoint. To navigate this, I will focus on objective visual design

elements outlined by Cohn, such as Line, Color, Shape, Size, Space, Value, and Texture (Cohn

26-34). By integrating visual rhetoric and genre analysis, this research adopts a comprehensive

approach to understanding health communication.

Notes:

- In the final draft, include Cohn’s elements categorized into boxes. Examine how the

different posters do this.

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- Include the poster's rhetorical word choice, such as inspiring kids to be superheroes.

- Mention the significance of the dots in the adult poster. [perhaps how it helps visualize

the germ amounts, as adults are a numerical people (bank balance, credit score, other

quantitative values)]

Preliminary Suppositions and Implications

The study may reveal that effective public health messaging requires carefully balancing

visual and linguistic strategies tailored to specific audiences. These findings could inform future

public health campaigns, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be as effective as

tailored posters. The outcomes of this study could catalyze subsequent research in the field of

handwashing awareness by identifying a random sample of the public and analyzing their

understanding and care of preventing the spread of disease. Additionally, adult genre-specific

handwashing posters might need to utilize more pathos. I hold the belief that many adults living

in the U.S. in this era are emotionally numb, and perhaps more fear tactics could be utilized to

motivate handwashing - this could be a crucial change.

Conclusion

This study aimed to understand the effectiveness of CDC hand-washing posters in promoting

public hygiene practices. By analyzing the linguistic and visual rhetoric of the posters “One

Trillion Germs” and “Handwashing Is Your Super Power!”, it sought to contribute to the broader

scholarship on public health communication and offer insights for designing more effective

health promotion materials.

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Works Cited

Cohn, Jenae. “Understanding Visual Rhetoric.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writings. Volume 3.

Parlor Press, 2020.

Jacobson et al. “Make Your ‘Move’: Writing in Genres.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writings.

Volume 4. Parlor Press, 2021.

Ogdrodnick and Feinberg. “Health Literacy and COVID-19: Implications for the ABE/ASE

Classroom.” Adult Literacy Education, vol. 5, no. 1, 2023, pp. 69-74

Smith, Catherine. “Consumer language, patient language, and thesauri: a review of literature.”

National Library of Medicine, J Med Library Association, 2011.

Goff, Mallory. “Health Literacy and Its Effects: A Genre Analysis of Patient Surveys.”

University of Central Florida Stylus, vol. 13.1, 2023, pp. 18-58.

"Handwashing Is Your Superpower!" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

www.cdc.gov/handwashing/posters.html#:~:text=PDF%20%E2%80%93%20597%20KB

%5D-,English%3A%208.5%20x%2011,-%5BPDF%20%E2%80%93%20347%20KB.

Accessed 7 Apr. 2024.

"One Trillion Germs." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

www.cdc.gov/handwashing/posters.html#:~:text=PDF%20%E2%80%93%20141%20KB

%5D-,English%3A%208.5%C3%9711,-%5BPDF%20%E2%80%93%20407K%5D.

Accessed 7 Apr. 2024.