Fear of swine flu impacts lifestyle

One of the lasting legacies of 2009 and looming challenges of 2010 is the H1N1 virus. Fears about contracting H1N1 (commonly known as the swine flu) have consumed many Americans for most of the year, so EarnMyDegree.com (http://www.earnmydegree.com), a web resource of EducationDynamics, which connects prospective students with online classes, commissioned a new study about whether flu-related worries have caused people to change their habits. The study found that people are taking new precautions to avoid getting sick, from more diligent cleaning to staying at home to studying online.

"When we asked people about what changes, if any, they are making due to H1N1, we found that a majority (66 percent) of Americans admit they've let the fear of the virus impact their daily life and that they have made some changes," said Terrence Thomas, with EarnMyDegree.com.

For the majority of Americans, the primary change they've made is more cleaning. Eighty-nine percent of those who have made changes in reaction to H1N1 fears report they now use hand sanitizers or wash their hands more often, and 35 percent clean their homes more frequently.

In addition to more zealous cleaning, some are altering their social habits. The EarnMyDegree.com study found that 29 percent of those who have changed their behaviors shake hands less often, and 16 percent are eating out less frequently, if at all. Additionally, some say they are actually considering online education to avoid classroom germs.

"Surprisingly, we found that six percent of people are now considering or have already started online classes because of H1N1," continued Thomas. "Many people don't want to take any risks and are turning to online education to avoid potentially getting sick from classmates."

Other research findings include:

-- Four percent of those in fear of H1N1 have decided to kiss their significant other less often.

-- Flu fears are gripping more women than men. The study shows that 71 percent of women and 60 percent of men confess they've been acting differently because of the H1N1 epidemic. This is especially true when it comes to keeping hands clean (91 percent of women vs. 86 percent of men) and making sure their home is germ-free (42 percent of women vs. 27 percent of men).

-- For homes with children, parents are certainly more cautious, with three in four (75 percent) starting to do things differently due to the flu threat, versus 60 percent of non-parents.