A new University Online Programme, PRIMIT, Reduces Cold and Flu Infections
Co-Authors of the PRIMIT study, NAMRIP members Professor Paul Little (Medicine) and Professor Lucy Yardley (Psychology) published their findings in this month's Lancet
How it works
The PRIMIT website gives users four weekly sessions which explain medical evidence, encourage users to learn simple techniques to avoid catching and passing on viruses, monitor handwashing behaviour, and provide tailored feedback.
Across three winters from January 2011 to March 2013, in the midst of the season for flu and other respiratory infections, researchers enrolled 20,066 individuals aged 18 years and older from 344 general practices across the UK. Volunteers were randomly assigned access to the PRIMT website or no intervention. Participants were followed for 16 weeks and questionnaires were used to measure episodes of respiratory infections, duration of symptoms, and to check whether other household members had a similar illness.
Results
Users reported fewer gastrointestinal infections, a lower demand for consultations with their doctors, and fewer antibiotic prescriptions
Our findings suggest that a simple, cheap internet programme to encourage handwashing can reduce the risk of infection by around 14 per cent. Because most of the population catches coughs, colds, sore throats and other respiratory infections, this could have an important impact on reducing the spread of these viruses in the general population, and also help reduce the pressure on NHS services during the winter months