Despite numerous campaigns from health authorities like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH), some Filipinos continue to fall into the pits of the “puwede na” attitude even when it comes to handwashing.
The study identified that “washing quickly with soap and water” is the commonly observed practice among other people, and that 50% are guilty of unsafe handwashing habits like washing without soap, washing for less than 20 seconds, or even just using tissue.
In the health guidelines released by the DOH, safe handwashing is regarded as the first line of defense to prevent the spread of germs and viruses. #SafeWash includes the use of soap and running water and hand scrubbing with an adequate period of at least 20 seconds.
While these public health advisories remain to be rampant, the survey has uncovered that Filipinos’ bad hand hygiene habits die hard.