A team of experts from the Australian Food Safety Council has discovered that nearly one in five adults neglects to wash their hands after using the restroom. Even more concerning, almost half of the survey participants admitted they don’t always wash their hands before eating.
It may seem odd to remind adults about the dangers of serious illnesses that can arise from neglecting basic hygiene. Yet, the authors of this study found it necessary to do just that.
Dr. Christine Carson, a senior research fellow at the University of Western Australia, noted in an article about the study for The Conversation: “You might not get sick yourself, but you contribute to the spread of bacteria.” She emphasized that such irresponsible behavior “can increase the risk of infection and illness for others, particularly those with weakened immune systems.”
What Did the Researchers Discover?
The survey included 1,229 individuals aged 18 and older, all of whom were questioned about their handwashing practices. It turned out that nearly one-fifth of respondents—19 percent—forget to wash their hands after using the restroom.
Lydia Buhtmann, CEO of the Australian Food Safety Council, pointed out that last year this figure was 17 percent. Meanwhile, the number of people who refuse to wash their hands before meals has risen from 34 percent last year to 42 percent now.
The expert also noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a slight improvement in handwashing habits, “but now Australians seem to be reverting to old habits.”
The results revealed differences in handwashing habits based on gender and age, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Men were found to wash their hands less frequently than women after using the restroom (80 percent of men compared to 83 percent of women) or before touching food (55 percent of men versus 62 percent of women).
Additionally, it was discovered that younger individuals wash their hands significantly less often than older generations. Only 69 percent of participants under 34 years old reported always washing their hands after using the restroom, compared to 86 percent of those aged 65 and older.
Dr. Carson reminded us that feces contain millions of microbes. Those who use the restroom and touch surfaces there inevitably pick up these microbes. “People who neglect to wash their hands carry these microbes with them and leave them on every surface they touch afterward.”
The survey did not explore the reasons why people fail to wash their hands. However, Dr. Carson explained that these reasons vary depending on lifestyle and circumstances.
According to her, authors of another study on this topic asked schoolchildren in India about their reasons for not washing their hands. The majority of respondents—91 percent—exhibited a low “perception of the threat of illness.” In other words, they simply did not recognize the risk of getting sick if they didn’t wash their hands after using the restroom, the researcher said.
One of the biggest barriers to handwashing turned out to be the inability to see microbes with the naked eye. This was reported by 46 percent of children. Meanwhile, 72 percent stated they would wash their hands if their friends did.
Ultimately, the researchers issued a call to the public: “Always wash and dry your hands before handling, preparing, and consuming food; after contact with raw meat, fish, seafood, eggs, or poultry; after using the restroom; caring for children (or others) and changing diapers; after sneezing; after contact with pets or cleaning cat litter boxes; and after working in the garden.”