More men than women have dirty hands

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Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Article Date: 22 Sep 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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People are generally getting better at washing their hands after going to a public restroom - 82% of people do so regularly this year, in 2003 the figure stood at 78%. However, if you take women out of the survey of 6,300 people, there has been virtually no improvement at all.

One quarter of all men do not wash their hands, say the researchers. In 2003 just 74% washed their hands after visiting a restroom - two years later the figure improved by one per cent to 75%.

When asked by phone whether they regularly washed their hands 91% of both men and women said they did. However, an observational study showed that only 83% really do.

These results were among those released by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), during a press conference highlighting National Clean Hands Week.

A study conducted in August 2005 for ASM (American Society for Microbiology) and SDA (Soap and Detergent Association) by Harris Interactive® observed 6,336 individuals wash their hands - or not - at six public attractions in four major cities: Atlanta (Turner Field), Chicago (Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium), New York City (Grand Central Station, Penn Station), and San Francisco (Ferry Terminal Farmers Market).

90% of the women observed washed their hands, compared to 75 percent of men. By contrast, in an August 2005 telephone survey of 1,013 American adults also conducted by Harris Interactive®, 97 percent of women and 96 percent of men say they always or usually wash their hands after using a public restroom.

"The American Society for Microbiology has been focusing on increasing public awareness of clean hands in periodic campaigns since 1996, and this message remains one of our most important priorities," said Dr. Judy Daly, Secretary of the American Society For Microbiology.

Hand Washing Survey Fact Sheet
Click here for links to more detailed reports.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Editor - Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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