Fellas, say it ain't so...

Study Sees Rise in Men Not Washing Hands
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Medical Writer

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.

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On the Net:

Microbiology meeting: http://www.icaac.org

Hand washing info: http://www.washup.org

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Copyright 2007, The Associated Press

Question:
Do you wash your hands when leaving the restroom?

Choices:
Always
Sometimes
Never

Question:
Is it necessary to wash your hands after every restroom visit?

Choices:
Yes
No

 

I am a germophobe. I wash my hands every time I go to the restroom, I use saniwipes for the carts in the supermarket, etc. When I was a chaplain, I kept a can of Lysol in my desk to spray down when students with colds left my office.

Actually, the guys in my department are very good in this respect. We even have a trash can outside the bathroom door because many of us use a paper towel to open the door when we leave.

This reminds me of the joke:

A man observes another man use the urinal, zip up and head towards the restroom door. Before the man can leave, the observer says, "Hey, My daddy taught me to wash my hands after using the bathroom." To this the unwashed guy says: "Well, my daddy taught me not to piss on my hands."

While, more out of habit than anything else, I wash my hands whenever using the restroom ... I've come to realize that by touching the faucet and door handle, I am subjecting myself to far more than by not washing my hands after touching myself.

quote:

Originally posted by Kweli4Real:

"Well, my daddy taught me not to piss on my hands."

I definitely wash every time and (unfortunately) routinely blow gaskets when my youngsters forget to do so as well. As a matter of fact I have the antibacterial gel in my top desk drawer and use it whenever I get the notion as well.

Even if I haven't soiled my hands in any way in the restroom, washing periodically is a good way to get rid of germs that accumulate on them throughout the day - so, it's good to wash any way.

I turn on the faucet, wash my hands, then get my three towels - one to turn off the facucet, one to dry my hands and one to open the bathroom door with.

I also have hand sanitizer on my desk, in my car and throughout my home.

I think you guys should be washing beforehand as well. You're handling important stuff there. I'm just sayin'. . . .

count me amongst the unwashed

Those are low numbers for both men and women...


FYI: Remove 3/4 of the contents of a lotion bottle, filling the remaining half with another 1/4 of soap and the rest with water... and use this as a nice moisturizing hand wash....

Or just make sure you lotion after you wash... to protect your skin..