ObjectiveTo observe the effect of health education on hand, foot and mouth disease knowledge of the parents and their psychological status, in order to provide a reference for regulating clinical intervention measures. MethodsBetween October 2011 and February 2013, self-made questionnaire was used to survey the parents of 286 children with hand, foot and mouth disease for their knowledge about the disease. We promoted health education including distributing pamphlets, holding lectures, and carrying out psychological counseling. Then, parents' knowledge and their psychological status were compared before and after the implementation of health education. ResultsAfter health education, parents' suspicion, anxiety, fear, indulgence in children and other negative psychological scores were significantly lower than those before intervention (P<0.05). Their knowledge on the disease was also significantly enhanced (P<0.05). Gender, age and educational background were the main influence factors for health education. ConclusionMulti-form comprehensive health education can enhance parents' knowledge on hand, foot and mouth disease effectively and alleviate various negative psychological situations, which assists them to participate in the treatment work actively, thus greatly promotes early rehabilitation of the child patients.