The Social Aspects of Hand Washing in American Restaurants: An Administrative Approach to Reducing Public and Private Health Care Costs.

Proper hand sanitation prevents spreading of many types of illness and infection, thereby lowering the quantitative and qualitative costs of public and private health care. Research shows that thinking or knowing someone is watching you wash your hands in a public lavatory appreciably improves the odds of you doing so. Nevertheless, most restaurants place their hand washing facilities inside the bathroom, beyond public view. Reformers from the public and private sectors should work cooperatively to incentivize restaurant owners voluntarily to place their hand washing facilities in public spaces. If this uncompelled approach proves unsuccessful, reformers should seek to impose laws requiring that all public eateries place their bathroom washbasins in conspicuous locations. The discussion closes by suggesting ancillary improvements to test in pursuit of further improving hand washing rates and practices in public spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]