A Kansas State University study has concluded that posters can influence the number of people who wash their hands in health care settings, according to Associated Press reporting. The research is in the current issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Researchers put up a poster next to a hand sanitizer near the entrance to a hospital cafeteria, then spent 27 hours over five weeks checking if more people washed their hands.

The team said hand-washing rose from 3.16 percent to 6.17 percent with the poster in place.

Researcher Doug Powell says although the gain was only modest, it set the stage for future study of posters that include more reminders using a "shock-and-shame" approach.