A new survey reveals that while 62% of Americans say they know the proper way to wash their hands, nearly half admit to forgetting or choosing not to wash at key times.
The survey, conducted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, found that many people skip handwashing after visiting grocery stores, restaurants or doctor's offices, CBS News reported.
"More concerning is that one in five admitted to actively choosing not to wash their hands at key times," said Marla Dalton, CEO of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
The report highlights that while many Americans know they should wash their hands after using the bathroom, handling food or taking out the trash, only 29% said they were most likely to do so after coughing or sneezing.
Proper handwashing takes just 20 seconds but can prevent illness for individuals and families. The COVID-19 pandemic did increase handwashing frequency among adults, according to the survey.
Dalton recommends following five steps for proper hand hygiene: wet, lather, scrub, rinse and dry.
"Scrubbing really needs to take the 20 seconds," Dalton said. "And also really important that we dry with friction that we rub dry to make sure that we've really completed the process and tried to be as germ free as possible."
The impact of proper handwashing could be substantial worldwide, according to health experts.
"Eighty percent of infectious diseases are actually spread by dirty hands," Dalton said. "Estimates show that if everyone properly and routine washed their hands, we could save up to a million lives a year around the world."
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
