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. 2021 Sep;49(9):1186-1188.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.03.021. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices around hand drying in public bathrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Perrine Marcenac  1 , Sunkyung Kim  2 , NoelleAngelique Molinari  2 , Margaret Person  2 , Rebekah Frankson  3 , David Berendes  2 , Christina McDonald  4 , Jonathan Yoder  3 , Vincent Hill  2 , Amanda Garcia-Williams  3
Affiliations

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices around hand drying in public bathrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Perrine Marcenac et al. Am J Infect Control. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Hand drying is the critical, final step of handwashing. A cross-sectional survey of U.S. adults assessed self-reported hand drying practices in public bathrooms and found increased preference for using electric hand dryers, wiping hands on clothing, and shaking hands and decreased preference for using paper towels during the COVID-19 pandemic relative to before. Respondents expressed concerns about contacting SARS-CoV-2 when touching surfaces in public bathrooms which may be influencing self-reported drying method preference.

Keywords: Hand drying methods; Handwashing; SARS-CoV-2.

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