Easy Health Tip: Wash Hands

Today's New York Times Science section has an article discussing a recent study on handwashing habits.  The study reveals that women are more likely to wash their hands than men - no reason for the difference was discovered.  According to the Times,

Most people say they wash their hands after using the bathroom. But a new study suggests that many of them are not telling the truth.

The researchers demonstrated that people were not as conscientious as they say they were by comparing answers given in a telephone poll to observed behavior.

In the nationwide poll, conducted from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22 by Harris Interactive, 1,013 adults were interviewed about their hand washing habits. Then observers were sent into public restrooms to see what actually happened.

Ninety-one percent of adults claimed in the poll that they washed their hands after using a public restroom. But of the 6,336 adults whose behavior was observed, only 82 percent actually did so.

Women, the study found, were more diligent than men: 90 percent washed their hands, compared with only 75 percent of the men.

Michael T. Osterholm, chairman of the public health committee of the American Society of Microbiologists, which commissioned the survey, said he could not explain what accounted for the difference.

"I don't think anyone knows why men are so much less likely to wash than women," he said. "People who use urinals probably think they don't need to wash their hands. But the overall message is that most Americans do wash their hands after using the bathroom, even though we have a long way to go."

[bm]