Survey: Hand washing habits lacking

A survey by the Wayne, N.J., based Lysol Hygiene Council has suggested that 61 percent of U.S. residents lack proper hand washing habits.

Of those surveyed, 37 percent said they do not wash their hands after sneezing or coughing, 27 percent reported skipping the hand wash process after handling pets and other animals, 10 percent said they neglected to wash up before handling or eating food and 7 percent said they did not wash after using the bathroom, WebMD reported Tuesday. Thirty-one percent reported washing their hands diligently in every situation.

Lysol surveyed 8,000 men and women over the age of 18 in the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany, United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, and South Africa. Of the countries polled, only Germany was found to have worse hand washing habits than the United States.

Only about 25 percent of German participants reported washing their hands in each of the above situations, and 13 percent said they tend not to wash after using the toilet.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International