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Healthy Hand Washing Survey 2010
From July 7-15, 2010 we surveyed 1,053 American adults about their hand washing habits in public restrooms. The survey also asked parents and teachers for their insights on students' hand washing behaviors in school restrooms. Participants were from around the country, evenly divided among men and women, and ranged in age from 18 to 65 and older.
Fox News Coverage of the Survey
H1N1 Leads to Better Hand Washing
In Bradley's second Healthy Hand Washing Survey, 50% of the 1,053 respondents said they "wash their hands more thoroughly or longer or more frequently" in public restrooms as a result of the H1N1 virus. That's up from the 2009 handwashing survey when only 45% said yes to the same question.
"It's certainly a move in the right direction. It's always a positive sign when we hear that more people are doing a better job washing their hands because hand washing is one of the easiest things to do to keep well."
- Michael McCann
Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology
Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia
Self-reported Hand Washing Habits
In our survey:
- 89% of people said they washed their hands after using public lavatories
- 87% of people said they also used soap
- 54% of the group admitted on occasion they´ve simply rinsed, without using soap.
"Since hand washing is the first defense in fighting off cold and flu germs, it's important to educate the public. We hope our Healthy Hand Washing Survey calls attention to this important practice and the benefits of hand washing."
- Jon Dommisse
Director of Marketing and Product Development
Bradley Corporation
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, adults average 2-4 colds a year; children have about 6-10.
The common cold is a leading cause of doctor visits and missed days from school and work. Each year, 5-20% of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications, says the CDC.
Studies show that most healthy adults may be able to infect others one day prior to becoming sick and for five to seven days after they first develop symptoms.
Top 3 Reasons for Not Washing Hands
- 29% - Used hand sanitizer instead
- 17% - Sinks were not working
- 14% - The sink area appeared unclean
"Hand washing is a simple thing to do and it´s the best way to prevent infection and illness,"
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Washing your hands is still best done with soap and water according to CDC. The CDC is unequivocal about the benefits of hand washing, calling it critical in preventing infection and illness.
Back-to-School & Hand Washing
According to Bradley's 2010 Healthy Hand Washing Survey, 83% of parents plan to talk to their children about the importance of hand washing as part of their back-to-school preparation. Parents' messages to children focus on how hand washing kills germs, prevents the spread of germs and helps keep them from getting sick. Teachers also support the importance of hand washing in the classroom, 75% say they have a formal handwashing procedure that they teach or encourage their students to follow throughout the day.
Apparently there is some disagreement about how well that message is received though. Most parents believe their child washes with soap and water 72% percent of the time after using the school restroom. Teachers were less optimistic, believing that students were using soap and water just 58% of the time after using the school restroom.
Teachers also believed that only half (55%) of their students truly know how to wash their hands properly.
33% of teachers and 27% of adults agree that at age five children should be able to wash their hands properly without assistance.
Children who are better at washing their hands get sick less often (2.42 missed days a year) than children with poor hand hygiene habits (3.02 days missed)
The Center for Disease Control
Hand washing among school-age children is especially important because it's estimated that at least 22 million school days are lost every year due to the common cold. Illness can spread from student to student throughout the school so it´s important that students wash their hands after using the bathroom, before eating and after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose.
Public Restroom Problems
Parents who needed to help their children in public restrooms were especially frustrated by empty or jammed towel dispensers, having no space to put belongings, water collecting on sink counters, and sinks and soap dispensers that were too high or difficult for children to reach. The survey also found that 60 percent of Americans have had an unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to the condition of the facilities. Gas station and public park restrooms were the first and second most commonly mentioned locations for an unpleasant experience.
"Hand washing is a lifetime health practice that children should know about, understand the benefits of and take with them into adulthood,"
- Jon Dommisse