More Adults Washing Their Hands

According to an observational study sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute (formerly The Soap and Detergent Association), more adults than ever before— 85 percent— are washing their hands after using the restroom. This year's result is up from the 77 percent observed in 2007 and in fact is the highest total since these studies began in 1996.

Breaking down the results by gender, males are improving with 77 percent of men washing their hands, up from 66 percent in 2007. However, these results are still lower than females with 93 percent of women washing their hands compared to 88 percent in 2007.

Plenty of improvements can still be made, however, as only 39 percent of Americans say they wash their hands after coughing or sneezing.