The H1N1 pandemic may not have been as serious as first thought, but the virus apparently helped put hygiene squarely back on the radar for Americans. Hand washing in the U.S. is at an all-time high according to a new study releases this week.
A study that included 6,028 adults in various public settings in four different U.S. cities revealed that hand washing before exiting a public restroom now stands at a record 85 percent. This far surpasses the figure of 66 percent that was found in 2007 in the exact same public restrooms. The cities involved in the study, conducted by the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute, were San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago and New York.
Although a consistent 96 percent of people who take part in phone surveys say they wash their hands after using a public restroom, the actual number bears out to be less. However, the numbers are headed in the right direction when it comes to killing germs and fighting off infections, and this has the research partners congratulating themselves on their most recent PR campaigns.
It is certainly no secret that the media paid very close attention to the H1N1 virus, in part because the World Health Organization warned that as many as 50 percent of Americans might be infected by the virus. Although thousands of Americans died from H1N1 and other flu strains in 2009, these numbers are experienced each flu season. Recent studies have indicated that the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 caused no greater overall harm to the public than the “typical” flu season.
However, the impending doom inspired by the media apparently stuck, as the 85 percent success rate for hand washing noted above was observed in August, 2010 – well after the threat of infection from H1N1. Now there is a threat of a new NDM-1 superbug that resists antibiotics.
Overall, men washed their hands at a rate of 77 percent in 2010, compared to 66 percent in 2007. Women were much less germ-tolerant, washing their hands at a 93 percent clip in 2010 versus 88 percent in 2007. At Turner Field in Atlanta, only 65 percent of men washed their hands, as compared to 98 percent of the women.
Manufacturers of hand sanitizers have also benefited from the recent concern for germs. But a study released this week showed that use of hand sanitizers, although relevant, may not be as significant as first thought.
A total of 42 percent of people who used sanitizers every three hours came down with a cold, while a total of 51 percent who did not do so came down with a cold. And when it came to contracting the flu virus specifically, 12 percent of sanitizer users did so, while 15 of non-users did so.
Although the differences are not staggering, many people would certainly consider about a 20 percent decrease in the odds of contracting a cold or flu virus a worthwhile investment.
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