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IntroductionHand washing is of key importance among residents to prevent life-threatening infections such as severe pneumonia or other microbial infection. Residents received coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine at vaccination station are obliged to stay in the vaccination station at least 30 minutes. The period of post-vaccination observation is an ideal time for hand washing intervention. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a health intervention on hand washing among residents, who received the COVID-19 vaccine, by using the theory of planned behavior (TPB).Methods:This randomized controlled trial was carried out between March 2021 and May 2021 in Wuhan, China. Participants were recruited using randomized cluster sampling and divided into intervention group and control group by random allocation. Data were collected using a self-administered researcher-made questionnaire based on TPB and Hand washing Questionnaire. Validity (content validity index = 0.87; content validity ratio = 0.89) and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed (α = 0.96). Intervention was implemented during the observation period post-vaccinated (lasting 15 min) using videos and live training based on TPB constructs.Results:A total of 448 residents were participated with a response rate of 71.9% (322). The mean age of the participants was 46 (53% females). Compared with the control group, the scores of subjective norm (P = 0.009) and perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001) in intervention group were higher after one time intervention. Mean scores of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavior control and intention of intervention group was significantly higher than the control group after twice intervention (P < 0.001). Moreover, participants in the intervention group performed better than those in the control group on daily hand-washing times (P = 0.044), hand sanitizer use (P = 0.003), rub time (P < 0.001), following the six-step technique (P < 0.001) after intervention.Conclusions:The findings suggested that applying TPB based intervention is suggested to improve hand washing behavior in residents.