14% don't wash hands at all after using bathroom
Just 11.4 percent of South Koreans are washing their hands after using the bathroom in a way that is recommended by health authorities, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday.
The KDCA released its report on the hand-washing habits of Koreans, which showed the average time spent washing hands was 13.9 seconds after using the bathroom.
Some 86 percent washed their hands. Of the total, 46.7 percent used soap and 39.3 percent used only water. The remaining 14 percent did not wash at all.
The report was based on the KDCA's survey at 120 public bathrooms across the country, observing 4,560 individuals and conducting exit polls on another 1,800 between May 28 and June 30.
The agency recommends that people wash their hands with soap for at least 30 seconds, cleaning all part of the hands. But only 11.4 percent of people did so.
Women generally used soap more than men — 52.9 percent to 40.5 percent. About 52.2 percent of those in their 20s used soap, the highest of all age groups, as opposed to 33.7 percent aged 70 and above.
The oldest group was also most likely not to wash their hands at all, at 21.7 percent.
It was found that many Koreans do not have an accurate perception about their hand-washing habits. When asked whether they wash their hands in a correct way, 51.2 percent of respondents replied affirmatively, which was well over four times the actual figure of 11.4 percent.
The KDCA stressed that washing hands after bathroom use is crucial to prevent many diseases related to respiratory organs, as well as diarrhea.
In a bid to raise public awareness over the matter, the KDCA decided to conduct biannual surveys of Koreans' hand-washing habits starting this year, instead of annual surveys in previous years.
The compiled report for the first and second half will be released in December.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com