Did you wash your hands properly after you used the toilet? Probably not, a new study suggests.
Researchers discreetly watched 3,749 people, 60 percent of them women, after they used public toilets in a Michigan college town. Over all, 10.3 percent did not wash their hands at all, and 22.8 percent used no soap. The remainder did use soap, but only 5.3 percent washed for longer than 15 seconds, soap or no soap. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, proper washing means rubbing vigorously with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Men did worse than women — almost 15 percent of them did not wash at all, compared with 7.1 percent of women. People were more likely to wash their hands properly if there were motion-detection faucets, a clean sink or a sign encouraging the practice.
The authors acknowledge that the presence of even discreet observers could have affected behavior, probably encouraging more hand washing. The study appeared in The Journal of Environmental Health.
“Forty-eight million people a year get sick from contaminated food,” said the lead author, Carl P. Borchgrevink, an associate professor at Michigan State University, “and the C.D.C. says 50 percent would not have gotten sick if people had washed their hands properly. Do as your mom said: Wash your hands.”

Remember.....Research is the key to your cure!