The disgusting habit that almost one in five Australians are guilty of

Cleanliness is next to godliness and many of us pride ourselves on our hygiene habits, but a new report says we are not as clean as we think and it could impact those closest to us.

The report from Australia’s Food Safety Information Council, conducted by Omnipoll, found that almost one in five people surveyed did not always wash their hands after using the toilet and almost half of those surveyed admitted they do not always wash their hands before handling food.

Food Safety Information Council Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lydia Buchtmann said good handwashing is critical to preventing the spread of disease and also reduces the risk of contracting food poisoning that results in almost 48,000 hospitalisations, 38 deaths, and results in $2.1 billion loss to the Australian economy.

“This year’s Omnipoll consumer research also found that 19 per cent of Australians say they don’t always wash their hands after going to the toilet and 42 per cent admit they don’t always wash before touching food,” she said.

“There was a slight improvement in handwashing during COVID-19 but now Australians seem to be slipping back into old habits.”

The survey collated the answers of 1229 Australians aged 18 and over across different economic groups.

They found women were more likely than men to wash their hands after going to the toilet, with 83 per cent of women versus 80 per cent of men saying they always washed up.

Men were also far less likely than women to wash their hands before handling food, with 55 per cent of men compared to 62 cent of women reporting they consistently washed their hands before touching food.

While people under 34 years old recorded the worst hygiene habits, older Australians were the cleanest with 86 per cent of older adults surveyed claiming they always washed after using the toilet compared to 69 per cent of those under 34.

While the statistics are concerning, the good news is that the Food Safety Information Council can point us in the right direction. Their advice is to always wash and dry your hands:

• Before handling, preparing and eating food.

• After touching raw meat, fish, seafood, shell eggs or poultry.

• After using the toilet, attending to children’s (or others’) toileting and changing nappies.

• After blowing your nose.

• After touching a pet or cleaning cat litter trays.

• After gardening.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice