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Study sees rise in men not washing hands
The gender gap has widened when it comes to hygiene, according to the latest stakeout by the "hand washing police."
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 findings were 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.
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.
(Agencies)據『洗手警察』的最新『監測』結果，男女在講衛生方面的性別差距擴大。據專門監測使用公廁人群的調查人員介紹，三分之一的男性上廁所後不洗手，而女性的這一比例僅為12%。該調查報告在本周一舉行的一個傳染病專家會議上公布。
而兩年前的這項調查發現，只有25%的男性上廁所後不洗手，女性為10%。
贊助該調查和相關教育宣傳活動的美國肥皂及清潔劑協會發言人布裡安•桑索尼說：『男人上完廁所後不要忘了洗洗手』。
該項最新調查結果是根據上月對美國四大城市的6000多人進行觀察後得出的。
醫生建議，勤洗手是預防生病的最好辦法，比如，可以防止傷風感冒以及遠離食物內潛伏的細菌等。哈裡斯互動調查公司最近的一項調查發現，92%的受訪美國人稱，他們上廁所後都會洗手。
但美國微生物研究學會的研究人員指出，真正做到的人只有77%，比2005年的一項類似調查下降了6%。
近四分之三的美國人稱自己在換完尿布後會洗手，78%的人稱在處理過或吃完食物後會洗手，42%的人在摸過貓狗後會洗手，25%的人在碰過錢後會洗手，34%的人在咳嗽或打噴嚏後會洗手。
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