This day aims to make people around the world aware of the importance of washing their hands with soap in order to prevent diseases and infections[citation needed].

The global campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of hand-washing with soap as a key factor to disease prevention.

[3][4] Steering Committee members of the GHP include Colgate-Palmolive; FHI 360; The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Procter & Gamble; UNICEF; Unilever; University at Buffalo; USAID; the Water and Sanitation Program at the World Bank; and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.

In 2011, Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), sponsored a study to assess the handwashing habits of American and Canadian adults, finding that many were not using soap when washing their hands.

[citation needed] The campaign was initiated to reduce childhood mortality rates and related respiratory and Diarrhoeal diseases by introducing simple behavioral changes, such as handwashing with soap.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US health care providers, on average, wash their hands less than half of the time they should.

[31] Handwashing with soap is recognized as a highly effective and cost-efficient method for preventing diseases such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections.

[39] A 2012 study from China attempted to qualitatively assess Chinese social media users’ reactions to Global Handwashing Day (GHD) 2012, in particular, and to health promotion campaigns in general.