UK more aware of hand hygiene since swine flu outbreak
Nearly 90% of Britons have started washing their hands more often since the outbreak of swine flu, a survey has revealed.
According to the 2010 Hygiene Matters report by Swedish hygiene and paper company SCA, since 2009 the UK has become one of the leading nations in the world when it comes to hand hygiene. Out of nine countries surveyed, China came first (91%), with the UK second (89%), followed by the US (88%).
Germany (86%) and France (80%) came next, followed by Sweden (75%), Russia (73%), Mexico (72%) and Australia (71%).
Since the swine flu outbreak, the UK’s understanding and awareness of hygiene has also improved. Over half (55%) of the population are now more aware of other people’s hygiene, and a similar number (52%) feel that people should take greater responsibility of health and hygiene where they live to improve local standards.
This is in sharp contrast to SCA’s study in 2008, which highlighted an alarming lack of understanding in the UK about the importance of personal hygiene. At that time, more than a third (34%) of the population were not washing their hands regularly enough and less than half (44%) were washing their hands after sneezing or blowing their noses.
The current study took place during 2009 with 5,084 respondents from Australia, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, UK and US. Contact www.sca.com
