According to a national survey in the US:
β...nearly half of its respondents forget or choose not to wash their hands at key times, such as after visiting grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops and health care settings including a doctor's office or hospital.β
One proposed solution, according to Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, is:
βan increase in public health signage in public β or in do-it-yourself signage at home β reminding people to do soβ¦β
No, Dr. Benjamin. Signage is not the answer.
Signs work when the situation is novel.
The first time I deplane in a new city (or a different terminal), I look for exit signs. The first time I visit a cafΓ©, a sign telling me whether itβs table service is helpful.
But signage wears out, especially in familiar environments.
A sign at home reminding me, or my loved ones, to wash our hands quickly fades into the background.
In this and countless other behaviour-change scenarios, more information is rarely the solution.
We have to think more creatively than that.
Refs: https://www.nfid.org/new-national-survey-finds-nearly-half-of-us-adults-admit-to-not-washing-their-hands-at-key-moments/ and https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/05/health/handwashing-habits-survey-wellness
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