CHICAGO, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- More U.S. adults say they wash their hands after using a restroom than they actually do, an observational study found.
The study by Harris Interactive for the American Society for Microbiology and The Soap and Detergent Association found that 88 percent of the women compared to 66 percent of the men were observed washing their hands in a public restroom.
In a separate telephone survey, 92 percent of adults say they wash their hands in public restrooms.
"Gender differences aside, hand hygiene is a serious matter," Dr. Judy Daly, spokeswoman for the American Society for Microbiology, said in a statement. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the single most important thing we can all do to keep from getting infectious diseases and spreading them to others is to clean our hands."
Harris Interactive observed 6,076 adults in public restrooms at six different locations in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City and San Francisco and recorded whether they washed their hands.
Chicago came out on top when it came to handwashing with 81 percent lathering up, followed by 79 percent in New York, 75 percent in Atlanta and 73 percent in San Francisco.
