Never mind COVID-19, half of you aren't even washing your hands after going to the bathroom

The coronavirus outbreak may have spurred some of us to wash ourhands with greater diligence, but a Canadian microbiologist argues too few of us have been making a habit of it.

"The reality is that a minority of the population choose to wash their hands on a regular basis," said Jason Tetro, author of The Germ Codeand The Germ Files.

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, about 80percent of common infections are spread by hand. While Tetroadmitsthere's greater attentionbeing paid to washing them to prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19, it's a custom that couldlikely fall by the wayside once those fears subside.

• Time and technique vital for proper handwashing, say health officials
• Shed handshakes for smiles and foot taps to avoid COVID-19 risk, doctors say

"The problem is getting people to continue [washing their hands] afterthe virus, or the threat, has gone away," he said.

According to arecent report in theInternational Journal of Epidemiology,only about 51 per cent of people in high-income countrieswith greater access to handwashing facilities wash their hands with soap after "potential fecal contact." In other words, half of us aren't scrubbing our hands after going Number 2.

Thatnauseating statistic doesn't surprise Tetro.

"When you start looking at how burdensome it is to wash your hands, how much time it takes, you kind of start putting that off ... especially if you're very busy," he said."We live in a world where we're too busy doing something else that we're not focusing on our health."

WATCH: Microbiologist explains why so few people wash their hands properly

'It's human nature'

Getting people topractise proper hand washing-techniques can be a challenge at the best of times, even in settings where it's critical, like the health-care industry, Tetro said.

"Youmay actually get a huge amount of people washing their hands during a training sessionor an observation period,but then it will gradually come back down. It's human nature," he said.

A 2014 audit conducted by theCanadian Patient Safety Institutefound about 78per cent of health-care workers cleaned their hands.

"We tend to forget the things that maybe are most important for our health, but perhaps are more burdensomeon our lifestyle," Tetro said.

Pointing the way

A study published in 2018examined whether certain cues might help nudge some people toward better hand hygiene in thebathroom.

Researchers found that while 40 per centof male subjectsand 66 per centoffemales washed their hands, the rate of males nudged up to 43 per cent when researchers placed reminders with smiley faces on bathroom mirrors. (Female subjects were apparently unmoved by the prompts.)

Your hygiene is important, no matter what time of year it is and whether or not we have a potential pandemic virus.- Jason Tetro

When red arrows were placed on the floor to point the way from toilet stalls and urinals to sinks, handwashing rates rose again to46 per cent among males and 76 per centamong females.

Tetro said these types of tactics can be helpful, but ultimately people will need to change their mindset and make handwashing a habit on their own.

"Every time we end up with one of these potential pandemic viruses ... we always tend to come back to hygiene as being the most important factor in preventing spread. The fact of the matter is, your hygiene is important, no matter what time of year it is and whether or not we have a potential pandemic virus."