Fewer U.S. men washing their hands in the bathroom - IDN Forums

Giant · #1 09-18-2007, 03:16 AM

Hey Touch, is this the direct consequence of Subprime Loan?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070917/...me/dirty_hands

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CHICAGO - The gender gap has widened when it comes to hygiene, according to the latest stakeout by the "hand washing police." One-third of men didn't bother to wash after using the bathroom, compared with 12 percent of women, said the researchers who spy on people in public restrooms. They reported their latest findings Monday at a meeting of infectious disease scientists.

Two years ago, the last time the survey was done, only one-quarter of men didn't wash, compared with 10 percent of women.

"Guys need to step up to the sink," said Brian Sansoni, spokesman for the Soap and Detergent Association, which co-sponsors the survey and related education campaigns.

The latest study was based on observations last month of more than 6,000 people in four big cities.

Frequent hand washing is the single best thing people can do to avoid getting sick, from colds and the flu to germs lurking in food, doctors say. And a recent Harris Interactive survey found 92 percent of Americans said they always wash up after using the bathroom.

But researchers for the American Society for Microbiology found that only 77 percent actually do, when it comes to public restrooms. That's a 6 percent decline from a similar study in 2005.

The dirty details:

_Atlanta's Turner Field baseball stadium again was the worst. Only 57 percent of guys there washed up, compared to 95 percent of women.

_New York was Second City to Chicago in cleanliness. In restrooms at the Windy City's Shedd Aquarium and Museum of Science and Industry, 81 percent of men and women combined washed their hands, compared to 79 percent at the Big Apple's Penn and Grand Central train stations.

_At San Francisco's Ferry Terminal Farmers Market, 62.5 percent of men lathered up. Women did better, with 84 percent.

Carry sanitizer gels and wipes in case the means to wash your hands aren't handy, suggested microbiologist Judy Daly of Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, who led the project.

"These are a marvelous addition to plain soap and water," she said.

Telephone surveys by the research firm Harris Interactive show little shift in attitudes over previous polls in 2003 and 2005. The latest was of 1,001 adults from Aug. 17-20.

Nearly three-fourths of Americans said they always wash up after changing a diaper, 78 percent said they do so after handling or eating food; 42 percent after petting a dog or cat, 25 percent after handling money, and 34 percent after coughing or sneezing.

touchring · #2 09-18-2007, 03:49 AM

Did they have a wash your hand campaign in toronto during the 2003 SARS?

Giant · #3 09-18-2007, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touchring

Did they have a wash your hand campaign in toronto during the 2003 SARS?

Yes, they did. But when you're on the brink of losing your home....

touchring · #4 09-18-2007, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giant

Yes, they did. But when you're on the brink of losing your home....

I don't see how this 2 issues link up.

burnsinternet · #5 09-18-2007, 05:02 AM

This is just a very strange thread.

I am glad I don't attend baseball games in Atlanta.

Giant · #6 09-18-2007, 08:09 AM

I went to the States a few times this year but none two years ago. So I think that may have affected the result of their research a little bit LOL. (just kidding)

Normally, when I find the washroom not clean, I leave the washroom quick without washing my hands. Unfortunately, it happens in China most of the time.

Rubber Duck · #7 09-18-2007, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giant

I went to the States a few times this year but none two years ago. So I think that may have affected the result of their research a little bit LOL. (just kidding)

Normally, when I find the washroom not clean, I leave the washroom quick without washing my hands. Unfortunately, it happens in China most of the time.

Damned right!

If you only take your own bacteria with you, then little harm can be done!

Used towels are the worst form of infection, so washing hands is often dependant on provision of air driers.

touchring · #8 09-18-2007, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burnsinternet

This is just a very strange thread.

I am glad I don't attend baseball games in Atlanta.

Read another strange news from Atlanta two days ago:

Baggy Pants: Outlawed in Atlanta?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnlyinAmer...ory?id=3519569

htmlindex · #9 10-21-2007, 10:53 AM

I notice quite a number of guys leave without washing their hands. I always wash mine as I like to keep clean.

jacksonm · #10 10-21-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htmlindex

I notice quite a number of guys leave without washing their hands. I always wash mine as I like to keep clean.

And then open the door with the handle? :-)

J/K but actually many people don't actually realize that the door handle inside the restroom is the dirtiest place around. I see it all the time, people wash their hands then grab the handle to open the door. The swing door is the best option for restrooms so you can just push it open with your foot or elbow, but many places still have normal door handles.

.

Rubber Duck · #11 10-21-2007, 11:12 AM

Taps is another one.

Actually standards are generally high in the EU. Accession Countries have been forced to install taps that operate on a sensor and air drier, but they are often shocked when coming to the UK to see we don't always have the same standards forced on them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksonm

And then open the door with the handle? :-)

J/K but actually many people don't actually realize that the door handle inside the restroom is the dirtiest place around. I see it all the time, people wash their hands then grab the handle to open the door. The swing door is the best option for restrooms so you can just push it open with your foot or elbow, but many places still have normal door handles.

.

bwhhisc · #12 10-21-2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Giant

Hey Touch, is this the direct consequence of Subprime Loan?

Two years ago, the last time the survey was done, only one-quarter of men didn't wash, compared with 10 percent of women.

Me thinks this is a function of how exciting the game is, how many beers you have consumed and how crowded the bathroom is ...

Rubber Duck · #13 10-21-2007, 02:46 PM

Yes, ironic when people that start these thread moan about the contributions of others.

touchring · #14 10-21-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacksonm

And then open the door with the handle? :-)

J/K but actually many people don't actually realize that the door handle inside the restroom is the dirtiest place around. I see it all the time, people wash their hands then grab the handle to open the door. The swing door is the best option for restrooms so you can just push it open with your foot or elbow, but many places still have normal door handles.

.

I use my forearm to turn the door handle.

jacksonm · #15 10-21-2007, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touchring

I use my forearm to turn the door handle.

Yes, I practice the same trick!

.

bwhhisc · #16 10-21-2007, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touchring

I use my forearm to turn the door handle.

Or just wait for the guy ahead of you to open...LOL

Rubber Duck · #17 10-21-2007, 07:19 PM

You can tell most of the members here are Geeks with indoor jobs.

What do you think we do on the Motorways when have to drive 10 miles to get toilet and back? It is not always a good idea to cross lanes when the traffic is doing up to 120 miles an hour and weaving backwards and forwards. How else do you think they keep those wheel rims so clean?