Suchergebnisse

Guided by Social Learning Theory, competing hypotheses tested whether personal, environmental, or behavioral factors influenced gender differences in hand washing. A total of 170 observations were made in public restrooms on a university campus. Results suggested that differentiating patron use of urinals and commodes was appropriate for examining hand-washing differences between women and men. The research found hand-washing rates of men and women were similar if both had just used a commode. In contrast, after using urinals, men's hand-washing rates were substantially lower than commode users. Although environmental factors appear to have an overriding influence over men's hand washing, duration data suggest that the specific behavior performed in a restroom (e.g., urination or defecation) was a better predictor of hand-washing rates and durations. These findings contradict gender-socialization theory as the explanation for differences in hand washing and warrant further investigation of environmental and behavioral influences.

Researchers explored 48 fast-food restaurant and coffee shop restrooms for factors that influence hand hygiene and the spread of disease. Using a naturalistic-observation approach, a catalogue of restroom design features requiring a hand touch were tabulated. Restroom data provided the basis for a conceptual framework for modeling pathogen risk, as defined by the number of hand touches to operate a restroom facility. The touch-path model tested whether men's and women's "perceptions of risk" and "intent to hand wash" were influenced by restroom use of commodes, urinals, design innovations, and other design configurations. Results showed that men's and women's perceptions of risk and intent to hand wash decreased as a function of design innovations. Women, as compared with men, reported greater perceptions of risk and intent to hand wash. In addition to the social-norm and self-awareness theory, this research supported the approach of understanding design-behavior interactions with respect to hand hygiene.