Body hygiene: more than 1 in 4 men do not change their briefs every day

HYGIENE – A quarter of French people do not perform “a complete toilet” every day, according to an Ifop poll published on Wednesday February 26, which also points to a low “compliance with sanitary rules” for washing hands.

The survey carried out online from January 31 to February 3 with a sample of 2005 people aged 18 and over focuses on the evolution of personal and domestic hygiene behavior of the French between 1951 and 2020.

Less neglect among women

The French have a reputation for being dirty and this image has not finished sticking to their skin: "Only 76% carry out a complete toilet every day", according to this study carried out on behalf of the company Diogène France , specializing in cleaning homes for people affected by Diogenes syndrome.

Women (81%) neglect themselves less than men (71%), the latter more rarely performing their daily ablutions when they are unemployed (60%), “rural” (59%) or aged 65 and over (57 %).

Daily wearing of underwear

In addition, only a quarter (25%) of respondents “wash their hands after blowing their nose”, proof according to the pollster and its sponsor of “ignorance of basic health rules, despite public health messages hammered and the viral context that currently reigns”.

The concern for manual cleanliness is more frequent, but still far from being systematic, when leaving public transport (37%) or toilets (71%).

Finally, according to this study, 94% of women change their panties every day, significantly more than in the 1950s when only 17% did so. On the other hand, only three out of four men change their underpants or underpants every day.

We also find an accentuation of the trend among the elderly where only 50% of over 65s change their underwear every day.

Diogenes syndrome

The first consequence of a serious lack of personal and domestic hygiene is social isolation. According to the study, the French are still very attached to the hygiene of their associations. In fact, nearly 39% of French people have stopped dating someone they know who neglects their personal hygiene.

In addition, 31% of respondents have already ended a relationship with a person who does not take care of the interior of their home and 29% with people who neglect how to dress.

Behind what looks like negligence can hide a behavioral disorder, Diogenes syndrome. According to Diogène France, this syndrome “is characterized by extreme negligence of bodily and domestic hygiene and an extreme form of unhealthy and compulsive accumulation of all kinds of objects and rubbish.”

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