Here is the Hand Washing guidelines as written by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC)
- *Using soap and water, proper hand washing includes at least 20 seconds of vigorous rubbing and thorough rinsing with water.
In the study by Carl P. Borchgrevink, JaeMin Cha, and SeungHyun Kim:
3,749 people were discretely observed.
60% were women
10.3% overall, did not wash hands at all
22.8% did not use soap
With soap, overall most observed washed for 15 seconds or less.
15% of men did not wash at all
7.1% of women did not wash at all
5.3% overall washed for more than 15 seconds but may or may not have used soap
Ironically we seem to do better when signs are posted and gadgets such as motion detector faucets and soap dispensers are available.
Contaminated food, sickens 48 million people a year, half caused by improper handwashing (says the CDC). Listen to your Mother, “Wash Your Hands!”