2009: the year that Britain learnt to wash its hands

According to research unveiled today by SCA, one of the world’s leading consumer product manufacturers in the field of hygiene and tissue paper, 89% of the UK have started washing their hands more often since the outbreak of swine flu.

Last year the media was saturated with various campaigns highlighting the importance of regular hand washing to prevent the spread of germs; but did the nation pay any attention? The results of SCA’s 2010 ‘Hygiene Matters’ report suggest that in Britain, we have indeed taken action and developed some commendable habits.

The SCA 2010 ‘Hygiene Matters’ report shows that since 2009, 89% of the UK have started washing their hands more frequently. The UK has actually been ranked as one of the leading nations when it comes to hand hygiene in the world. Out of nine countries surveyed the UK came second only to China. Full global ratings are stated in the chart to the right.

It also seems that since the swine flu outbreak, the nation’s understanding and awareness of hygiene has improved too. Over half (55%) of the UK state that they are now more aware of other people’s hygiene, and a similar amount (52%) feel that people should take greater responsibility of health and hygiene where they live to improve local standards.

This is in sharp comparison to results from SCA research conducted in 2008 which highlighted an alarming lack of understanding in the UK about the importance of personal hygiene. Worryingly then, over a third (34.3%) of the nation were not washing their hands regularly enough and less than half (44.4%) were washing their hands during key ‘at-risk’ situations like after sneezing or blowing their noses.

These positive results suggest that the information on hygiene and hand washing issued to the public by both government campaigns and brands such as SCA have penetrated the nation’s consciousness successfully. According to the findings people are not just thinking more about hygiene but are actually taking action and improving their hygiene habits.

Professor Norman Noah: "Encouraging results!"

SCA is working with Professor Norman Noah from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who comments: “The latest results from SCA’s 2010 ‘Hygiene Matters’ report are very encouraging. The fact that almost nine out of ten Britons are now washing their hands more often, shows just how successful the campaigns to protect the nation against swine flu have been.

It is also reassuring that the UK has been rated one of the best countries for good hand hygiene in the world. It seems that the nation now really understands how essential regular hand washing is to curtail the spread of germs. I urge people to keep up their newly acquired good habits as it has been proven that washing your hands effectively, prevents against both gastrointestinal and respiratory infections which are prevalent throughout the year.”

5,084 respondets in nine countries

The SCA 2010 ‘Hygiene Matters’ report was commissioned to provide a greater understanding of personal hygiene methods and behaviours worldwide, and follows on from the report published in 2008. The extensive global study took place during 2009 with 5084 respondents from Australia, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The in-depth results cover a range of topics including living in the wake of swine flu, hygiene in schools and pre-schools, hygiene information in the metropolis, hygiene and health in the internet age and hygiene and the environment.

• Download press release (pdf), 30 kB
• Download press images (flickr.com)
• Download Hygiene Matters 2010 (pdf)
• Download Hygiene Matters 2008 (pdf)