Australians have a disturbing dirty habit that could be making us sick.
One in five Aussies don’t wash their hands after using the toilet, contributing to an estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning cases per year, according to the Food Information Council.
“Good handwashing, using running water, soap and drying hands thoroughly is a basic public health message that people seem to be forgetting,” Lydia Buchtmann, the council’s communication director said.
“A fifth of Australians say they don’t always wash their hands after going to the toilet and more than a third don’t always wash before touching food.
“This behaviour could be contributing to the estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning each year not to mention spreading viral infections such as cold, influenza and norovirus.”
The research revealed differences in the gross habit between men and women, where it was established that men were much less likely than women to wash their hands after using the toilet.
Just 76 per cent of men wash their hands in comparison to 82 per cent of women.
Young people were also identified as a high risk group for poor toilet hygiene, with 69 per cent of people under the age of 34 failing to wash.
Poor handwashing knowledge and practices among young people is also a leading cause of concern as they enter the hospitality industry and cook as a profession.