Health

Americans Get Low Marks On Hand Hygiene

by Gh0s7 | September 20, 2008 at 10:59 am

294 views | 24 Recommendations | 5 comments

An article from WebMD says that Americans get a grade of C-Minus on hand hygiene. An agency known as Echo Research conducted a phone survey of 916 heads of households, 458 women and 458 men, in August of 2008.

The Soap and Detergent Association is out with its 4th Clean Hands Report, and it gives Americans a C-minus.

Some of the key findings are below:

85 percent of participants say they wash their hands after making a bathroom trip. But in 2006's survey, that percentage was 92.

46 percent of respondents say they spend 15 seconds or less washing their hands.

39 percent never or seldom wash hands after coughing or sneezing.

39 percent don't always wash their hands before eating lunch. In 2006, that figure was 31 percent.

56 percent of participants knew that regular hand-washing is seen as the best way to prevent colds and flu .

Nancy Bock of the Soap and Detergent Association says it's time to get on board with hand washing. The Center For Disease Control has repeatedly stated that washing hands is the easiest and most important way to prevent the spread of illnesses such as colds or flu.

"Americans should prepare for the onslaught of cold and flu season," she says. "Cleaning your hands regularly throughout the day can help keep you out of the doctor's office or the emergency room."

The Soap and Detergent Association says that one should wash their hands before making food, before eating, after going to the bathroom, after petting animals, when your hands are dirty, or when someone or youself are sick.