Sep. 8, 2009 The path to poor hand sanitation is paved with good
intentions, according to researchers from Kansas State and North
Carolina State universities. As college campuses prepare for an
expected increase in H1N1 flu this fall, the researchers said
students' actions will speak louder than words. "Many students
say they routinely wash their hands," said Douglas Powell, an
associate professor of food safety at Kansas State University.
"But even in an outbreak situation, many students simply don't."
In February 2006, Powell and two colleagues -- Ben Chapman, an
assistant professor at North Carolina State University, and
research assistant Brae Surgeoner -- observed hand sanitation
behavior during an outbreak. What was thought to have been
norovirus sickened nearly 340 students at the University of
Guelph in Canada. Hand sanitation stations and informational
posters were stationed at the entrance to a residence hall
cafeteria, where the potential for cross-contamination was high.
The researchers observed t