Posts: 7598 |
weirdmom Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 2:19 AM |
The gender gap has widened when it comes to hygiene, according to the latest stakeout by the "hand washing police." One-third of men didn't bother to wash after using the bathroom, compared with 12 percent of women, said the researchers who spy on people in public restrooms. They reported their latest findings Monday at a meeting of infectious disease scientists.
Two years ago, the last time the survey was done, only one-quarter of men didn't wash, compared with 10 percent of women.
"Guys need to step up to the sink," said Brian Sansoni, spokesman for the Soap and Detergent Association, which co-sponsors the survey and related education campaigns.
The latest study was based on observations last month of more than 6,000 people in four big cities.
Frequent hand washing is the single best thing people can do to avoid getting sick, from colds and the flu to germs lurking in food, doctors say. And a recent Harris Interactive survey found 92 percent of Americans said they always wash up after using the bathroom.
But researchers for the American Society for Microbiology found that only 77 percent actually do, when it comes to public restrooms. That's a 6 percent decline from a similar study in 2005.
The dirty details:
_Atlanta's Turner Field baseball stadium again was the worst. Only 57 percent of guys there washed up, compared to 95 percent of women.
_New York was Second City to Chicago in cleanliness. In restrooms at the Windy City's Shedd Aquarium and Museum of Science and Industry, 81 percent of men and women combined washed their hands, compared to 79 percent at the Big Apple's Penn and Grand Central train stations.
_At San Francisco's Ferry Terminal Farmers Market, 62.5 percent of men lathered up. Women did better, with 84 percent.
Carry sanitizer gels and wipes in case the means to wash your hands aren't handy, suggested microbiologist Judy Daly of Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, who led the project.
"These are a marvelous addition to plain soap and water," she said.
Telephone surveys by the research firm Harris Interactive show little shift in attitudes over previous polls in 2003 and 2005. The latest was of 1,001 adults from Aug. 17-20.
Nearly three-fourths of Americans said they always wash up after changing a diaper, 78 percent said they do so after handling or eating food; 42 percent after petting a dog or cat, 25 percent after handling money, and 34 percent after coughing or sneezing |
|
|
Posts: 7519 |
Nikki Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 2:21 AM |
| yuck. |
|
|
Posts: 811 |
ashleyb Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 2:24 AM |
| I knew there was another reason why I hate the Braves- their fans don't wash! |
|
|
Posts: 1790 |
lindsey22295 Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 2:59 AM |
weirdmominaustin wrote: said the researchers who spy on people in public restrooms.
What a weird job... |
|
|
Posts: 7598 |
weirdmom Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:01 AM |
lindsey22295 wrote: What a weird job...
Yeah, no kidding! How do you slyly spy on people? |
|
|
Posts: 1790 |
lindsey22295 Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:05 AM |
| Maybe they use hidden cameras? But then, hidden cameras in a public restroom would be another problem. |
|
|
Posts: 7598 |
weirdmom Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:08 AM |
Maybe it was a team and they took turns coming out of a stall and counting the men or women who were around them when they went up to the sink?
Very strange job. I once saw a news segment about strange jobs. This one lady's job was to go to various wet swampy areas and let herself get bit by mosquitos and then count how many bites she got in, say, 5 minutes. It was a way for the county to get an idea of how bad the mosquitos were. |
|
|
Posts: 1790 |
lindsey22295 Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:19 AM |
Haha. That job would suck. I googled weird jobs and this is one of them that came up. The website had a good sense of humor.
19. Chicken Sexer
Going through baby chicks and separating them according to sex. I hear this job is pretty easy, if you just play bad 80's music and set things up like a 5th grade dance, they separate themselves.
|
|
|
Posts: 10115 |
ricv64 Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:20 AM |
| SF farmers market HA HA HA HA , oh wait it's all natural there , bummer |
|
|
Posts: 4270 |
ElspethOllie Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:35 AM |
lindsey22295 wrote: Haha. That job would suck. I googled weird jobs and this is one of them that came up. The website had a good sense of humor.
19. Chicken Sexer
Going through baby chicks and separating them according to sex. I hear this job is pretty easy, if you just play bad 80's music and set things up like a 5th grade dance, they separate themselves.
Haha. That made me giggle. |
|
|
Posts: 1790 |
lindsey22295 Posted Tue 18 Sep, 2007 3:37 AM |
ElspethOllie wrote: lindsey22295 wrote: Haha. That job would suck. I googled weird jobs and this is one of them that came up. The website had a good sense of humor.
19. Chicken Sexer
Going through baby chicks and separating them according to sex. I hear this job is pretty easy, if you just play bad 80's music and set things up like a 5th grade dance, they separate themselves.
Haha. That made me giggle.
So true though. I remember my 6th grade dance....can we say awkward. |
|
|
