COVID-19 has made everyone more aware of their personal hygiene. But there might still be unhygienic actions that most people probably do not know they are doing. The best example for that is touching the face, which happens more frequently than anyone might think.
Typically, a person will not mind much that they are rubbing their eyes, picking their nose, or biting their nails. Often, the act only becomes known when someone points it out to them. During this time, these bad habits could have negative implications for public health since good hand hygiene helps stop the spread of the deadly virus SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
During this pandemic, everyone must be aware of 'contact transmission' because even those asymptomatic people can spread the disease from their skin that usually touches the surfaces like the door handles. Touching these virus-laden surfaces will get yourself infected in a process called 'self-inoculation.'
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How frequently do you touch your face?
In 2015, researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney conducted a study on the frequency of face touching by analyzing video recordings of medical students during their classes.
The research showed that students frequently touched their faces despite having completed a course covering personal hygiene. The study highlighted that even future doctors also do the same thing that an average human does- unconsciously touching the face.
A total of 2,346 times of facial touching was recorded during the study for over four hours. That means, on average, humans touch their faces 23 times per hour.
The researchers also noted whether the students touched the mucosal area of their faces or other parts. Touching the mucosal areas, such as the nose, eyes, and mouth, is especially susceptible to bacteria and viruses because it is the entry point for an invading pathogen.
The Australian study observed that 44% of the touches were in the mucosal area while 56% were on other parts, like the ears, chin, cheeks, and forehead.
But some experts criticize this study for lack of enough samples. According to a systematic review of scientific literature in 2020 by epidemiologists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, a person touches the face more than twice the figure in the Australian study- about 69 times per hour.
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How is face touching spreading the virus?
Healthcare professionals are urging the public to avoid face touching as much as possible, especially this time. Although the coronavirus is mainly transmitted by droplets, they can land on surfaces that the hands commonly touch.
Provost Professor of psychology and business at the University of Southern California, Wendy Wood said that touching the face is an act that most people perform without even thinking. Humans continue to do it, whether it is intentional or not.
According to a study published in 2019 about hand hygiene and the global spread of disease, people who wash their hands at the airport could help curb disease transmission by 69%. However, a previous study by the same researchers showed that only 20% of people in the airport have clean hands.
That means small acts like hand washing can affect the global spread of the virus.
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