As we enjoy the spring weather and recover from a record 2017 flu season, research by Palmolive has revealed a worrying lack of hand hygiene amongst Queenslanders.
The national study, commissioned by Palmolive revealed that approximately a third of Queenslanders fail to wash their hands after sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose, thus risking the spread of germs amongst family, friends and co-workers.
Also of concern was that 44 per cent of Queenslanders fail to wash their hands after handling money, a rate less than the United States where just 45 per cent of people believe washing hands is essential after touching money.
In the wake of this data, Palmolive is encouraging Narangba residents to reconsider their hand hygiene habits in the lead up to Global Handwashing Day which takes place on Sunday 15 October, as part of its Clean Hands, Good Health (CHGH) program.
Designed for pre-school teachers to educate children on the importance of hand washing for their overall health, the CHGH program is a worldwide hand hygiene program which is run by Palmolive and offered to Australian pre-schools for free.
Since the program launched in Australia and New Zealand in 2009, the program has reached over 1.8 million preschool children and their families.
Kate Hickey, Palmolive Clean Hands Good Health ambassador says effective hand hygiene is vital in stopping the spread of germs.
“It is important that children learn proper handwashing and hand hygiene habits at a young age to ensure good hand hygiene habits are carried throughout their lives.”
“While most of us wash our hands every day, many aren’t practising hand hygiene properly or enough due to time-constraints or lack of insight as to when, where and how they should be doing so,” said Hickey.
While it is recommended that individuals wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap, 75 per cent of Queenslanders are washing their hands for 15 seconds or less. Furthermore, approximately a quarter of Queenslanders say they don’t wash their hands every-time after using the toilet.
Learning the correct way to wash hands at a young age is the best way for children to establish a life-long healthy handwashing routine that will safeguard them from infections, germs and nasty bacteria.
The topic of handwashing will come to the forefront of the global health agenda on Global Handwashing Day which will take place on Saturday 15 October.
Global Handwashing Day is an annual global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.
“As we approach Global Handwashing Day, we encourage all parents and teachers to educate themselves and their children and students on the importance of hand hygiene.
“By improving our collective handwashing habits we can work together to reduce the spread of germs and diseases such as the flu and the common cold,” said Hickey.
For more information on Palmolive’s Clean Hands Good Health Program visit http://www.palmolivecleanhands.com.au/