Reporting their latest findings Monday at a meeting of infectious disease scientists, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), said nearly 77 percent of men and women washed their hands in public restrooms - a six percent decline from a similar study conducted in 2005.
In 2005, only one-quarter of men didn't wash, compared with 10 percent of women.
Brian Sansoni, spokesman for the SDA said, "Guys need to step up to the sink."
The latest study was based on observations last month of more than 6,000 people in four big cities namely Atlanta (Turner Field), Chicago (Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium), New York City (Grand Central Station, Penn Station), and San Francisco (Ferry Terminal Farmers Market).
ASM spokesperson Dr. Judy Daly said in a statement, "Gender differences aside, hand hygiene is a serious matter."
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the single most important thing we can all do to keep from getting infectious diseases and spreading them to others is to clean our hands," Daly added.
Lack of this habit can lead to sickness, infection from colds and the flu to germs lurking in food. Yet in a separate telephone survey, 92 percent of adults say they wash their hands in public restrooms.
Chicago men topped the hand washing habit with 81 percent men choosing to lather up. New York turned out to be the "second city" in this study, with 79 percent washing up, followed by Atlanta (75 percent) and San Francisco (73 percent).
