research on goal setting harvard

The Surprising Truth About a Famous Goals Research Study

In putting the final touches to my upcoming book, my editor asked me to locate the source for a famous goals research study I mentioned. It led to a surprising truth about what I understood about achieving success through written goals.

I’m glad I caught this before going to print! For a moment, it also made me question everything I’d ever accepted as true about written goals as a part of my success.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the surprising truth about the 1953 Harvard study on goals, and what we really know about achieving success through written goals.

Table of Contents

The Famous Harvard (or Yale) Goals Research Study

In 1953, Harvard conducted a study on goal-setting which has since been quoted and referenced in countless articles and books. The study found that people who wrote down their goals were more likely to achieve them than those who didn’t. This became known as the ‘Harvard Study on Goals’.

Here is the gist of the study’s results. A 1953 graduating class of Harvard MBA students was asked about whether, or not, they had goals. The following were the responses:

• 3% said they had clear, written goals.
• 13% had goals, just not written down.
• 84% did not have goals at all.

Ten years later, it was discovered that the 13% who had non-written goals earned on average twice as much as the 84% who did not have goals at all. The 3% who had written goals outperformed everyone altogether by earning ten times as much as all of the other 97% combined.

Wow! Sign me up!

That’s exactly what happened. I had been living off written goals ever since learning about this study decades ago. There are blog posts and emails floating around the Internet with my name on them referencing this very study.

The problem is that the 1953 Harvard study never happened according to an article I found from Mike Morrison .

It Was Yale Not Harvard, Jerry

Obviously, I would not find the famous goals research study done by Harvard in 1953, because that study was conducted by Yale University.

It turned out that was not true either, and Fast Company discovered this back in 1996 while I was first latching onto the idea of having written goals as an undergraduate student!

Even the Yale University Library posted in their FAQs that no one on staff can find documented proof this goals research ever happened. Letting go of fast held beliefs is hard, because someone gave the Yale University Library post a “thumbs down” for the truth it seems.

There are other variations of this study based on the year it happened, 1979, 1984. None of that matters because there was never goals research conducted on MBA graduates to show the income earning differences based on whether or not you have written goals.

But, Wait! There is Real Proof, Too! The Gail Matthews Goals Study

There is a Gail Matthews goals study that was published in 2007 through Dominican University. Yes!

Professor Matthews’s research was conducted with an international body of participants whose careers represented a wide variety of industries.

In short, participants were divided into five groups ranging from having no written goals to having three layers of support in addition to written goals. 

Those who had written goals reported experiencing success as a result of having written goals compared to the control group that could state intentions but not write down any goals. 

Success for those participating in this goals research included some of the following:

• Completing a project
• Increasing income
• Increasing productivity
• Getting organized
• Enhancing life balance
• Reducing work anxiety
• Learning a new skill

Of the five groups in the goals research study, one reported having the most success. This group had four key ingredients, and I’ll discuss this next.

Four Key Ingredients to Success Using Written Goals

The goals research conducted by Gail Matthews showed that having the following four ingredients would lead to the best chances and levels of success compared to those who do not have goals: written and clear goals, commitment to action, accountability partner, and weekly progress reports.

Written goals 

Writing your goals out whether digitally or on paper with a pen creates something tangible turning an idea into reality.

You are able to reference your written goals with consistency and hold yourself accountable. Like reading a map, you are able to see your destination and measure progress. Download a FREE copy of Measure It to Make It if you’d like help creating clear goals for your career, family, or life in general.

Commitment to Action

It’s nice to say you want to write a book or start a podcast. Without action, it does not matter though.

Stating “I will achieve my goal by [fill in the blank],” breathes life into your desire to have an improvement in your life. Your outcome-based goal now has an activity-based goal you can track on a daily and weekly basis. 

The action, of course, needs to have a direct impact to achieve your goals. It does not make sense to say you want to learn how to bake a cake and have the commitment to take swimming lessons instead.

If you want to be promoted at work or get a pay raise, your commitment to action should be something that increases your value to the organization such as taking on a project that will stretch you or gaining a new skill. It may need to replace a current action like showing up to the office, then spending the first hour going to the cafeteria to get breakfast.

An Accountability Partner

Matthews’ goals research used the phrase “shared with a friend”. The concept can be applied to sharing it with anyone you know and trust who will hold you accountable to your written goals and commitments to action. 

Let’s call that person with whom you share your goals and commitments to action an accountability partner. That person can be a friend, a coach, your supervisor, etc. This person should have permission to ask you how things are going without you getting defensive about it. They’re just asking you how it is coming along, and maybe seeing where you are limiting yourself or need to get unstuck.

Weekly Progress Reports

Your accountability partner needs to also be someone who is committed to hearing from you as you provide weekly progress reports.

This activity is for your benefit. Pulling together information on your progress lets you see how you are doing, and where you saw the biggest wins and the biggest challenges. You can think through any adjustments that need to be made to remove obstacles and increase performance. 

An added bonus to sharing your progress with your accountability partner is that it may inspire them to also create and pursue goals. Before you know it, you’re both encouraging each other to higher levels of success.

There you have it. The surprising truth about the famous Harvard/Yale goals research study was that it never happened, but there has been research conducted to show that written goals with added layers can help you level up your career and your life. 

Let me know in the comments what you think, what you learned, and what you’d like to add about written goals.

Until next time, go live life beyond the rut!

Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting

• The harmful side effects of goal setting are far more serious and systematic than prior work has acknowledged.
• Goal setting harms organizations in systematic and predictable ways.
• The use of goal setting can degrade employee performance, shift focus away from important but non-specified goals, harm interpersonal relationships, corrode organizational culture, and motivate risky and unethical behaviors.
• In many situations, the damaging effects of goal setting outweigh its benefits.
• Managers should ask specific questions to ascertain whether the harmful effects of goal setting outweigh the potential benefits.

Author Abstract

Goal setting is one of the most replicated and influential paradigms in the management literature. Hundreds of studies conducted in numerous countries and contexts have consistently demonstrated that setting specific, challenging goals can powerfully drive behavior and boost performance. Advocates of goal setting have had a substantial impact on research, management education, and management practice. In this article, we argue that the beneficial effects of goal setting have been overstated and that systematic harm caused by goal setting has been largely ignored. We identify specific side effects associated with goal setting, including a narrow focus that neglects non-goal areas, a rise in unethical behavior, distorted risk preferences, corrosion of organizational culture, and reduced intrinsic motivation. Rather than dispensing goal setting as a benign, over-the-counter treatment for motivation, managers and scholars need to conceptualize goal setting as a prescription-strength medication that requires careful dosing, consideration of harmful side effects, and close supervision. We offer a warning label to accompany the practice of setting goals.

Paper Information

• Full Working Paper Text
• Working Paper Publication Date: January 2009
• HBS Working Paper Number: 09-083
• Faculty Unit(s): Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
• 06 May 2024
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How to set goals (and why you should write them down).

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There’s some impressive science to back up goal setting. And yet it’s something we’re never taught or encouraged to do. But the statistics don’t lie, and make a strong argument for getting good at this skill; and making a habit of it. A Harvard Business Study found that the 3% of graduates from their MBA who had their goals written down, ended up earning ten times as much as the other 97% put together, just ten years after graduation.

Let’s start with the foundations of setting S-M-A-R-T Goals. This acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Timely. This all makes sense, but there are some additional tricks to learn in order to make your goals stick and make sure you stay accountable to them.

Once you have your goals articulated, take some time to turn them into a creative and artistic visual. Though it might sound juvenile, sit with color markers, crayons or paint and write them out in a way you might if you were back in school. This activates a different part of your brain, and as it will be wildly different to your working style, will help cement your goals in your mind. The creative process will also help you see in terms of what is possible and not get stuck in rational thinking. Do not put pressure on yourself to create a masterpiece, just create something visibly striking and enjoy the creative process as you go.

2. Feel Them

Rather than just write out your goals in a topline way, write at least a paragraph on how it feels to achieve your goal. Acting like you have already achieved your goal will start to connect the dots between where you are now and the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. On top of that, it will also give you the confidence associated with attaining this goal; and this will permeate to those around you.

3. Understand Them

To set goals that truly motivate you, you must understand why you want to achieve your goal. Without a clear understanding of your motivation, it’s hard to find the tenacity or drive needed to succeed. Take some time to interrogate your goal; why you want to achieve it, how it would make you feel, what doors it would open up, why it must happen now and why this is essential to your happiness. If it helps, play out the flipside: what will happen if you don’t achieve your goal.

4. Take Action

Finally, one you have your goals written, take immediate action – even if it is a small step. Momentum begets momentum, and by kick starting your goal writing process with a tangible action, you will immediately create a sense of progress. Change happens as a result of lots of little steps, so don’t feel the need to start with a huge, intimidating step. Once you start taking action, be sure to celebrate wins and review your goals each month to help track your progress.

5. Share Them

Many people have fear about sharing their goals in case they don't achieve them. But sharing them will keep you accountable. Additionally, once you say something to someone else, out loud, you have made an unknowing commitment to make it happen. It has become bigger than you and now it's on you to make it materialize.

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Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Overprescribing Goal Setting

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Goal-Setting Is Linked to Higher Achievement

Five research-based ways to help children and teens attain their goals..

Posted March 14, 2018 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

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If you are an employed adult, you know that most organizations have written goals and objectives. That’s because goal-setting is a common practice in the workplace—and for good reason. Written goals provide a road map by which employees can measure their efforts and see how they contribute to the success of work teams and ultimately, to their companies.

In the same way, goal-setting helps motivate athletes, entrepreneurs, and individuals to achieve at higher levels of difficulty.

But goal-setting isn’t just for adults. In fact, being goal-oriented is a critical part of how children learn to become resourceful, which is defined as one’s ability to find and use available resources to solve problems and shape the future.

“Goal setters see future possibilities and the big picture,” says Rick McDaniel in a Huffington Post article . He discusses the important difference between being a goal setter and problem solver, the latter often getting bogged down in roadblocks. “Goal setters,” he says, “are comfortable with risk, prefer innovation , and are energized by change.”

Research has uncovered many key aspects of goal setting theory and its link to success (Kleingeld, et al, 2011). Setting goals is linked with self-confidence , motivation, and autonomy (Locke & Lathan, 2006). A 2015 study by psychologist Gail Matthews showed when people wrote down their goals, they were 33 percent more successful in achieving them than those who formulated outcomes in their heads.

Children learn to be resourceful through the practice of being goal-directed. In an article at Edutopia , teachers learn that fostering resourcefulness involves encouraging students to plan, strategize, prioritize, set goals, seek resources, and monitor their progress.

In similar ways, parents teach resourcefulness when they walk beside children through the everyday practice of being goal-directed rather than attempting to set objectives and problem-solving for kids.

The common approach that applies to both parents and educators is to involve children in their own goal-setting and decision-making . This promotes independence and collaboration with adults simultaneously.

The following strategies apply the research on goal-setting at home, in the classroom, or on the sports field.

Five Ways to Help Children Set and Achieve Goals

Children and teens become effective goal-setters when they understand and develop five action-oriented behaviors and incorporate these actions with each goal set.

• Put goals in writing. Goals that are written are concrete and motivational. Making progress toward written goals increases feelings of success and well-being. Using a goal-setting template can help children track their successes. A goal-setting smartphone app may motivate tech-savvy children even more. Some apps have gaming features that make goal-setting a fun way to achieve results and build new habits.
• Self-commit. For a goal to be motivating to a child, it must give meaning to a mental or physical action to which a child feels committed. This self-commitment becomes a key element in self-regulation , a child’s ability to monitor, control, and alter his own behaviors. This doesn’t mean that parents or teachers should not be involved in goal-setting. In fact, adults can serve as goal facilitators—helping kids see options, asking core questions, and providing supportive feedback.
• Be specific. Goals must be much more specific than raising a grade or improving performance on the soccer field. Here’s a simple formula. 1) I will [raise my grade in algebra from a C to a B]; 2) By doing what? [regular homework, and spending time with an online algebra program or game]; 3) When? How? With Whom? [increase daily algebra homework by 15 minutes to include a fun online interactive algebra practice; spend 15 fewer minutes on social media ; get support from teacher/tutor for things that are not understood]; 4) Measured by [increased time spent; improved weekly test scores].
• Stretch for difficulty. Goals should always be challenging enough to be attainable, but not so challenging that they become sources of major setbacks. When working with a child on goal-setting, listen to what they think they can achieve rather than what you want them to achieve.
• Seek feedback and support. Part of the fun and motivation of setting goals is working on them in a supportive group environment. Even though goals are often individual in nature, children should be able to recognize how their goal is tied to their family values, the aspirations of a sports team, or the aim of a specific curriculum. When they understand this connection, they feel more open to seeking feedback and receiving support from adults. When goals are achieved, it’s time to celebrate with others!

Kleingeld, A., van Mierlo, H., & Arends, L. (2011). The effect of goal setting on group performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1289-1304.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2006). New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 15(5), 265-268.

Matthews, G. (2015). Goal Research Summary. Paper presented at the 9th Annual International Conference of the Psychology Research Unit of Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER), Athens, Greece.

Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Ph.D., is an Institute for Social Innovation Fellow at Fielding Graduate University and author of Tomorrow’s Change Makers.

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Setting Goals that Others Will Pursue: Committing to an Outcome

By: HBS Press, Harvard Business School Press

By setting goals and measuring their achievement, you can focus on what is most important, waste less energy on noncritical tasks, and achieve greater results. Whether your organization takes a…

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By setting goals and measuring their achievement, you can focus on what is most important, waste less energy on noncritical tasks, and achieve greater results. Whether your organization takes a top-down approach to goal setting or a bottom-up one, you are responsible for setting goals for your unit and for yourself. This chapter breaks down the priorities, the obstacles, and the after-action review of goal setting and achieving.

This chapter is excerpted from Harvard Business Essentials: Manager's Toolkit.

Learning Objectives

To emphasize goal setting for oneself and one's business unit to ensure the success that results when both are aligned.

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What Harvard’s Goal Setting Survey Results Reveal

An often discussed 1979 Harvard survey* of a class of MBA program students asked, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?”

Here’s what the study revealed then:

• 3% in the class had written goals and plans
• 13% had unwritten goals
• 84% had no goals at all

It’s a fact. People who have clear, strong goals, especially written ones, are far more likely to succeed than those who don’t. .

What do you think of goal setting now?

Once you know what you want in your business, how can you make sure you achieve those goals? Let’s take this further and look at three smart ways to get closer to your goals.

Like-Minded People

Join a community (like Fast Cash Coaching or Loral’s Big Table) or organizations like Toastmasters and Business Networking International.

Seek out people who are developing the same skills as you are or aiming for the same goals. Share ideas and ambitions.

Success is impossible to achieve alone. Behind every major success story is a brilliant team of people. Bill Gates once said: “If you took away our top 25 people, Microsoft would be a mediocre company.”

Surround yourself with A-class players, whether they’re friends, colleagues, employees or business partners.

Strong Metric-Based Goals

It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking you’re making more progress than you actually are. You could be reading a lot of books, building a lot of sites or making a lot of plans and somehow feel like you’re making progress, when you’re actually not.

Having strong, metric-based goals will help keep you on track towards your goals. These metrics should be easy to measure and have a direct impact on your bottom line.

Make sure your metrics are rooted in time as well. For example, “build a great business” is a poor goal to shoot for. On the other hand, “be making $5,000 a month after tax in 12 months” is a great, concrete goal.

Learn from Those Who Have Been There, Done That

In order to reach your business goals, it’s crucial to study and learn from other people’s past successes and failures.

If you want to make money in real estate, study Donald Trump. If you want earn money investing/trading, study Warren Buffett or George Soros. And so on and so forth.

The point of learning from others is twofold: 1. to get as much knowledge from as many knowledgeable people as possible, and 2. discovering what you need to build the right team for success.

Strong business goals = success.

Surround yourself with others who also share similar ambitions, set measurable goals rooted in time and learn from and work with a qualified team.

* Note: The Harvard Study mentioned in this post is in question. Is it authentic? No one seems to know for sure but evidence seems to support that it never happened. The original source for this information was the book by Mark McCormack, “ What They Don’t Teach You in the Harvard Business School .”

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• Published: 21 May 2024

Goal setting in later life: an international comparison of older adults’ defined goals

• Elissa Burton   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6470-8305 1 , 2 ,
• Jill Chonody 3 ,
• Barbra Teater 4 &
• Sabretta Alford 5  

BMC Geriatrics volume  24 , Article number:  443 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Studies of goal setting in later life tend to focus on health-related goal setting, are pre-determined by the researcher (i.e., tick box), and/or are focused on a specific geographical area (i.e., one country). This study sought to understand broader, long-term goals from the perspective of older adults (65 + years) from Australia, New Zealand (NZ), United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Canada, and the United States of America (USA).

Through a cross-sectional, online survey ( N  = 1,551), this exploratory study examined the qualitative goal content of older adults. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, and bivariate analyses were used to compare thematic differences between regions and by participants’ sex.

Over 60% of the participants reported setting goals, and participants from the Australia-NZ and Canada-USA regions were more likely to set goals than the UK-Ireland region. The following six overarching themes were identified from the 946 goals reported: health and well-being; social connections and engagement; activities and experiences; finance and employment; home and lifestyle; and attitude to life.

Conclusions

This study supports previous research that demonstrates that older adults can and do set personal goals that are wide ranging. These findings support the need for health professionals to consider different methods for elucidating this important information from older adults that builds rapport and focuses on aspects viewed as more important by the older adult and therefore potentially produces improved health outcomes.

Peer Review reports

Ageist assumptions likely influence gerontological health care workers’ perceptions of personal goal setting in older people in that they may falsely believe that they are not intent on pursuing goals beyond those related to functional abilities (e.g., improved mobility) [ 1 ]. However, “new paradigms are needed to provide guidance and support as adults move into the later decades of life, strive to maintain their independence, intent upon aging in place” [ 2 , p.205]. This change in perspective is consistent with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Active Aging Policy, which was developed to address the global growth in older adults and to facilitate and grow social and community connection [ 3 ]. “Active,” from the WHO’s position, is related to ongoing participation and was not meant to singularly describe health maintenance [ 4 ]. The aging process is influenced by six determinants—social, biological, behavioral, personal, health and social services, and economic—that act in concert to create individual experiences of growing older. Gender and culture are “cross-cutting determinants” given that each contributes to greater barriers and privileges. Moreover, aging is reframed as a life-long process, not something that happens at a predetermined age [ 4 ]. This framework directly informs a new paradigm of personal goal setting with its emphasis on self-determination that empowers individual decision making and inclusivity across the active aging spectrum.

Self-Determination Theory is “an empirically derived theory of human motivation and personality in social contexts that differentiates motivation in terms of being autonomous and controlled” [ 5 , p.416]. This theory emphasizes not just the need for goals, but also the content of one’s goals [ 6 , 7 ]. That is, goals may have an intrinsic motivation, such as personal growth, or health. On the other hand, goals may represent extrinsic content, such as social recognition, or financial success, which focuses on the positive evaluation of others [ 7 , 8 ]. Goal content is important given its association with subjective well-being. Those who are intrinsically motivated have greater well-being than those that are extrinsically motivated, which is associated with ill-being in at least some studies (e.g [ 6 , 7 ]).

Many contemporary studies address goal setting in later adult life stages; however, these studies tend to focus on health-related goal setting, such as care goals for serious illness (e.g., Ouchi, George [ 9 ]), health care preferences (e.g., Tinetti, Costello [ 10 ]) or diabetes (e.g., Kalyani, Golden [ 11 ]). Studies on personal goal setting are often dated (10 + years), and as the Baby Boomers enter older adulthood, shifts in personal goal setting is likely. The “me generation” may expect that choices are always readily available [ 12 ] and set their goals accordingly.

Personal goals have an important influence on life satisfaction and are often studied within this context. In a Canadian study of older adults, participants who had many future goals had less regret, which in turn supported a better quality of life [ 11 ]. Future goals also predicted greater life satisfaction for older people [ 13 ] as well as health and quality of life for frail older adults [ 14 ]. When examining goal content, older adults placed greater importance on intrinsic goals which were positively associated with well-being, whereas extrinsic goals were not [ 15 ].

Furthermore, studies exploring goal setting by older adults tend to be researcher driven in that pre-determined goals are provided and then rated for degree of importance, which creates a lacuna of research from the perspective of older people. For example, A study of older people in Hong Kong sought to understand differences for the young-old (i.e., 54–73 years old) and old-old (i.e., 74 years and up; Au, Ng [ 16 ]) with the six-domains of the “Goals Questionnaire Success Subscale” (as cited in Au et al. [ 16 ]). Thus, limiting respondents’ goals to these areas.

In addition, personal goal setting studies are typically conducted in a single country [ 13 – 18 ]. However, multi-country studies shed light on how culture may play a role and thus inform intervention development. Thus, there is much still to learn about personal goal setting by older adults. This study sought to address these gaps by elevating the voices of older people residing in Australia, New Zealand (NZ), the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Canada and the United States of America (USA) by initially identifying if they set goals, and for those that did, qualitatively examining their personal goals.

This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study, distributed by online survey (using Qualtrics). This study on older adults’ goals was part of a larger survey that included questions about successful aging, living a long life, where older adults would like to live as they age, and what they need to do to stay living in their home for the rest of their life. The current analyses focuses on older adults’ goals. This study received ethical approval from [Curtin] University (HRE-2021-0587). The first question of the survey required participants to provide consent to being involved. Those who said no to giving consent were not permitted to continue completing the survey.

Setting and sample

Prior to the distribution of the survey, a pilot test was conducted with four older adults. Two were Australians living in a regional area, one was Australian living in the suburbs surrounding a capital city and one was Scottish. Changes suggested by the pilot participants were made, such as asking age rather than birth year. At the conclusion of the pilot study, the survey was sent out to older adults through multiple channels including: (1) to older adults who previously agreed to be included in a research participant database; (2) a link in the Council of the Ageing Western Australia newsletter and the Strength for Life newsletter; (3) an advert on the Injury Matters website; (4) multiple Facebook adverts that included Australia, NZ, the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA; and (5) multiple X (formerly twitter) posts, posted from Australia and the USA accounts. These countries were included because they were all English speaking, included at least two countries within a region of the world, and had large Facebook memberships, which allowed a large sample of people to be surveyed. The survey was distributed, and data were collected between September 2021 until April 2022.

Participants were eligible to participate in the study if they were 65 years or older, able to understand and communicate in English, and had access to the internet and/or social media. If a person did not meet these criteria, they were unable to complete the survey. Sample size calculations were based on older populations (i.e., 65 years and over) of the three regions participating in the study: (1) Australia and NZ, (2) the UK (i.e., England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) and Ireland, and (3) Canada and the USA. Considering a confidence interval of 95% and a 5% margin of error, a sample size of at least 385 survey completions was required for each region.

Instrumentation

Participants were asked to complete demographic questions that included age, sex, where they lived (i.e. capital city and surrounding suburbs; regional city; regional area (i.e. small town, farming, etc.) or remote), who they lived with, education level, employment status, number of children, number of prescribed medications and ability to complete activities of daily living such as going to the toilet, completing own shower or bath and dressing (i.e., no difficulty, some difficulty, moderate difficulty, need help). They were also asked to complete the following questions: “Have you set goals for yourself that you would like to achieve?” (yes/no). Those who answered yes, were then asked, “If you are happy to share, can you please describe what goals you are trying to achieve currently?” (open-ended). This reduced the opportunity for the researchers to influence their answers.

Additionally, a back button was also not included on the survey. As the pilot study participants moved through the survey and were asked different questions, they explained how they thought of additional answers to previous questions due to these new questions. The researchers did not want the participants’ previous answers to be led by these new questions and therefore did not allow the back button to be included in this final, distributed survey. No incentive was offered for completing the survey.

Data analysis

Participant demographic data were checked for normality of distribution and summarized using means and standard deviations for continuous data and frequency distribution for categorical data or non-parametric tests where required. T -tests, ANOVAs and chi-square tests were used for continuous and categorical group comparisons, respectively. SPSS v27 was used for data analysis, and significance levels were set at alpha = 0.05.

Qualitative data (i.e., open ended questions) were initially analyzed using thematic analysis [ 19 , 20 ]. Familiarization of the data was essential, and the data set was read multiple times prior to commencing analysis. Codes were then generated initially by one researcher (EB) across the entire data set, with many codes interconnected between each other. Codes were then developed into potential sub-themes and were reviewed and discussed amongst the four authors (EB, BT, JC, SA), these sub-themes were then reviewed multiple times, and themes were generated that encapsulated a number of sub-themes within each. These themes were then reviewed and discussed by the research team (EB, BT, JC, SA) and final names of themes were agreed. A thematic map was then developed illustrating how the sub-themes were placed within themes. Given the large number of survey participants involved, after completing the thematic analysis, (multiple) themes and sub-themes were then aligned to each participant in SPSS based on their answers, to allow for further analysis between sexes and regions. For example, ID1471 reported their goals were “ Stay active Travel Be open minded Listen to grandchildren Express gratitude.” In SPSS, ID1471’s answers were added to over-arching theme columns: Health and wellbeing; Social connection and engagement; Activities and experiences; and Attitude to life. These answers were then added to the sub-themes columns in SPSS, and for this participant included Exercise/physical activity/get fitter; Travel; Being positive and open; Spending time with family (or help them); Be kind-happy-respectful. This process was completed for each participant by the lead researcher and then checked by two authors (BT, JC).

Study participants

Fifteen hundred and fifty-one participants completed the online survey. The mean age was 72.6 (± 5.7) years, and three-quarters were female. A third (32.5%, n  = 530) of participants were born in the UK, 20.1% ( n  = 327) in Australia, 17.1% ( n  = 279) in Canada, 8.9% ( n  = 145) in the USA, 6.6% ( n  = 108) in NZ, and 6.7% ( n  = 110) in Ireland. Country they were living in when they completed the survey included Australia, 29.2% ( n  = 479), UK, 21.3% ( n  = 350), Canada, 20.9% ( n  = 342), USA, 7.6% ( n  = 124), Ireland, 7.9% ( n  = 129), New Zealand, 7.4% ( n  = 122). The full demographics data for the participants including a breakdown for each of the three regions: Australia/NZ; UK, Ireland and Europe; and Canada and the USA are in Table  1 . The number of participants from Europe was very small ( n  = 5, Italy = 4, Portugal = 1) and were therefore combined into the UK and Ireland region.

Statistically significant differences were found between the UK-Ireland region and Canada-USA region for age, with the Canada-USA region being older. Significantly more participants from the Australia-NZ region lived in a capital city or the surrounding suburbs compared to the other two regions. Significantly more from Australia-NZ, Canada-USA lived in regional cities compared to the UK-Ireland and significantly more participants from the UK-Ireland lived in a regional area compared to the other two regions. The UK-Ireland and Canada-USA regions both had significantly more participants who had completed an undergraduate degree than the Australia-NZ region. Whereas post-graduate degree completion was reported significantly more often by Australia-NZ participants compared to the other two regions. The Australia-NZ region reported significantly more children than the Canada-USA region. Australia-NZ also had significantly more participants who had help in the home compared to the UK-Ireland region. No significant differences for sex, employment status, medications prescribed and ability to complete activities of daily living were found.

Do older people set goals they would like to achieve?

Almost two-thirds (63.0%, n  = 977) of the survey participants stated they set goals they wanted to achieve. The Australia-NZ (67.1%; n  = 403) and Canada-USA (65.5%; n  = 305) regions were significantly more likely to set goals than the UK-Ireland region (55.6%; n  = 269), χ 2 (2, n  = 1,551) = 16.875, p  < 0.0001. Of the 63.0% who reported they set goals, 67.4% ( n  = 659) described their goals in an open-ended response. Many participants reported multiple goals within their response. In total, there were 1,773 goals themed, Australia-NZ averaged 1.66 per participant ( n  = 683 total number of goals), Canada-USA 1.42 per participant ( n  = 538), and UK-Ireland 1.12 per participant ( n  = 552) (see Table  1 ). UK-Ireland averaged significantly fewer goals per person than Australia-NZ and Canada-USA.

Types of goals – overarching themes

Six overarching themes were identified from 946 goals reported, these are presented in Table  2 . ‘Activities and experiences’ was the most frequently mentioned theme, followed by ‘health and wellbeing’ and ‘social connections and engagement.’ There was a statistically significant difference for ‘social connections and engagement’ with the UK-Ireland reporting these fewer times than participants from Australia-NZ and Canada-USA. Australia-NZ participants were significantly more likely to report ‘activities and experiences’ as a goal compared to Canada-USA and ‘home and lifestyle’ significantly more than both of the other regions. Canada-USA were significantly more likely to report goals around ‘finances and employment’ compared to the UK-Ireland.

Due to the small number of participants identifying as non-binary ( n  = 3), transgender ( n  = 1) and intersex ( n  = 1) the analysis only included those identifying as male or female for the differences between sexes questions. Females provided on average 2.06 responses and males 1.86. ‘Activities and experiences’, followed by ‘health and wellbeing’ and ‘social connections and engagements’ were the three highest reported goals respectively for females (see Table  2 ). Males reported ‘activities and experiences’, ‘social connections and engagements’ and then ‘health and wellbeing’ as their top three reported goals. There were significant differences between the sexes for ‘health and wellbeing’ and ‘home and lifestyle’ where it was more likely to be reported by females, whereas males were significantly more likely to report ‘finance and employment’ as part of their goals.

Types of goals – sub-themes

The overarching themes were derived from 38 sub-themes, which are illustrated in Fig.  1 Conceptual map. ‘Activities and experiences’ included the largest number of sub-themes with 10 identified. Examples included hobbies, learning new skills, gardening, writing books, breaking records, being useful, travel and doing things that are fun. ‘Social connection and engagement’ included eight sub-themes, such as spending time with family and friends, volunteering, engaging with the community or outdoors and having a pet. ‘Health and wellbeing’ and ‘attitude to life’ both had six sub-themes, whereas ‘finance and employment’ and ‘home and lifestyle’ included four sub-themes respectively.

Conceptual map of the goals

Table  3 presents the 38 sub-themes by region. The most prevalent sub-themes were exercise/physical activity/get fitter (35.6%), travel (28.6%), general health and wellbeing (22.6%) and spending time with family (or helping them) (20.6%). The Australia-NZ region was significantly more likely to report general health and wellbeing and gardening as important goals compared to both the UK-Ireland and Canada-USA. Australia-NZ and Canada-USA regions were also significantly more likely to state helping others and volunteering, and spending time with friends as goals compared to the UK-Ireland region. Healthy eating and maintaining weight was reported significantly more often by participants from Canada-USA than Australia-NZ. The Australia-NZ region was also significantly more likely to report spending time with family (or helping them) and stay living independently than participants living in the UK-Ireland region. Faith and spiritual connection, including going to church and meditating was reported significantly more often for Canada-US compared to both Australia-NZ and the UK-Ireland. However, the UK-Ireland were significantly more likely to state starting or completing educational courses and learning new skills as goals compared to those in the Canada-USA region. Finally, Canada-USA were more likely to report staying alive as a goal compared to the UK-Ireland.

Table  4 presents the sub-theme goals by sex, with 963 goals identified. Females identified exercise/physical activity/getting fitter (38.8%), travel (30.3%) and general health and wellbeing (22.3%) as their three most reported sub-theme goals. This was the same as the males, however only 23.8% of males reported exercise/physical activity/getting fitter as the most important sub-theme goal and 22.3% general health and wellbeing and travel, at equal second. Travel, healthy eating and maintaining weight, exercise/physical activity/getting fitter, losing weight, and learning new skills were all reported significantly more by females than males. Whereas males reported competing/breaking world records/challenging oneself, financial security/independence/getting out of debt, living to 100/growing old gracefully and in good health, remarrying/marry/relationships/sex life and staying alive significantly more often than females.

This study found that the majority of older adults, living in different regions of the world, are setting personal goals. Six over-arching themes were identified from the data and not only included “health and well-being,” like much of the previous research in this area, but also an array of other factors that were identified as important in an older person’s life. Additionally, some of the themes aligned with the six determinants of active aging identified in the WHO’s Active Aging Policy [ 4 ], such as health, social, personal, and economic factors.

“Health and well-being” were identified by more than half of the participants in this study, which is similar to other studies exploring older adults’ personal goals. However, many of the sub-themes, such as physical activity, exercise, improving nutrition, controlling pain, or maintaining function, were also identified as higher, overarching themes within previous research [ 2 , 17 , 21 ]. This may be because fewer goals were described by participants in previous research or closed questions (tick boxes) were used in data collection. Also, unlike previous research, this current study included multi-country perspectives using the same open-answer questionnaire during the same time period, which may have increased the breadth of goals that were provided when compared to single country studies.

Working with older people to create future goals has been found to increase life satisfaction and quality of life [ 13 ]; thus, this may be a key way to intervene after a health issue arises. However, health interventions geared toward older people tend to give them “what is considered to be needed, but not what they want or hope for” [ 22 , p. 299]. New ways to achieve goals that promote active aging continue to increase [ 2 ], and health care providers, social workers, and others may facilitate continued growth in this area by assisting older people in their goal setting and planning. For example, soliciting and focusing on self-defined goals when working with older adults can provide a sense of agency in creating a future that best supports and enhances their quality of life and overall well-being. Additionally, public health policies that aim to promote healthy aging could integrate elements of goal setting for older adults that focus on specific aspects of “activities and experiences” and “social connections and engagement” alongside health promotion and engagement. Those who work with older adults will need to shift their attitudes toward goal setting [ 2 ] by focusing their energy on self-determination and elevating the voices of older adults as well as moving beyond care goals. Arguably, health goals are essential to much of this work, but a holistic approach is needed to improve subjective well-being and overall life satisfaction and to build trust and rapport.

“Activities and experiences” was the most prevalent theme across the six regions, which have been described in previous research under the guise of leisure [ 22 ], cultural activities, volunteering, skill development [ 23 ], travel [ 21 ], and intellectual pursuits [ 2 ]. Yet none of this previous research covered the range of activities older people enjoy and how it differs depending on the country or sex of the participants. Nor have they illustrated that “activities and experiences” are perceived as more important as personal goals than “health and well-being” or “social connections and engagement” by older adults. This research illustrates the importance of “activities and experiences” for older adults and that they want to continue participating, and in some cases, achieving in activities they enjoy (e.g., breaking world records). Health professionals could consider discussing whether these are of importance to their older patients, and if so, linking their health and rehabilitative goals to the “activities and experiences” of their choice. This approach is often described in the reablement literature. Reablement being defined broadly as a person-centered approach aimed at enhancing a person’s physical and/or other functioning to increase or maintain independence in meaningful activities of daily living [ 24 ]. However, goals are often focused around health, function, or social connections rather than “activities or experiences” [ 24 , 25 ].

“Social connections and engagement” were also identified in the top three themes for both sex and region. Females in this current study placed greater emphasis on “health and well-being” (second highest) as a goal, whereas males identified “social connections and engagement” as more important than their “health and wellbeing” goals. This may be due to women already prioritizing “social connections and engagement” [ 26 ] and therefore not feeling a need to include it as a goal. Similarly, fewer males noted exercise or physical fitness as a priority, yet research shows older age males are often more physically active than females [ 27 ]. Thus, they may not include this as a personal goal if it is already being achieved. However, this is outside the scope of this study, and it is not possible to be certain on the reasons why these goals were prioritized by the different sexes. Focus groups or interviews could facilitate greater understanding of how gender influences goal-setting.

“Finance and employment” were perceived as important to participants in the Australia/New Zealand and Canada/USA regions, but not as much in the UK/Ireland. It is difficult to determine why this may be the case, but potentially the different pension systems and health and social care systems may play a role. Males were also significantly more likely to include financial security, independence, and getting out of debt as goals compared to females. This study did not explore reasons why, and we are therefore unable to speculate as to why this was the case. Perhaps traditional gender role socialization plays a role in personal goal setting. “Finances and employment” were not commonly described in previous research looking at personal goals of older adults, but it has been described within zero-sum, extrinsic frameworks [ 28 , 29 ]. Future research is needed to examine these connections, generationally and by gender identity.

The Australia/NZ region were significantly more likely to include “home and lifestyle” goals than both the UK/Ireland and Canada/USA regions. Also, the Australia/NZ region had almost twice the proportion of participants living in a capital city or regional city compared to the other two regions and far fewer in regional and remote areas. Study participants were not asked whether they owned their own home or rented, and this may have provided one reason as to why it was more of a goal for some than others. Other studies exploring personal goals of older adults rarely included “home and lifestyle” factors within their work. This is an area ripe for further examination as it relates to aging in place and what meaning the home has for older people as they age.

Enjoying life and having a positive attitude to life has been included in previous goals research for older adults [ 2 , 23 ], and like this current study, it was not of the highest priority when setting their goals. However, having a positive attitude, enjoying life, and being kind and respectful is viewed as important enough by older people to be included in their personal goals. Educating health care providers, social workers, and others who primarily work with older people through continuing education programs run by their disciplines (e.g., Australian Physiotherapy Association), online courses or webinars (national societies e.g., Gerontological Society of America) would allow them to think about goal setting beyond specific health care needs and promote greater generativity and well-being.

There are a number of strengths of this study, including open questions with no examples provided for types of goals to include, therefore reducing the opportunity for bias and only capturing the thoughts of the participants. Collecting data across multiple countries simultaneously using the same questionnaire has, to our knowledge, not been conducted previously in personal goal setting and provides an opportunity to directly compare perspectives of older people across three regions of the world. Multi-country studies have been undertaken previously, but they linked data between countries after data collection was completed, and often the questions being asked were not worded exactly the same across the different countries. Limitations included only involving English speaking countries in the questionnaire and predominantly including people with access to the internet and who were Facebook users. There was also an over-representation of females and ethnicity and income were not collected. There is also a chance that how we described where someone was living may have been misinterpreted between capital city and surrounding suburbs and how this is described across the different countries included in the study. We also combined countries to explore the three regions and there may have been differences between the countries, for example with USA and Canada having different healthcare systems.

This study supports the notion that older adults can and do set personal goals and that they are wide ranging. Goal setting is prevalent in health care, but research often states from the health professionals’ perspective that it is difficult to identify goals or that older adults either do not like or find it difficult to set goals [ 30 ]. Perhaps other factors, such as the approach to identifying these goals, the way the question about goal setting is phrased, or lack of time given to the older person to think about their goals are greater issues than their ability to identify them. Health professionals may like to consider different methods for elucidating this important information from their patients that solicits self-defined goals and includes programming that factor in elements of activities and experiences and social connections and engagement.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

New Zealand

Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences

United Kingdom

United States of America

World Health Organization

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the thousands of older adults who participated in the research study and completed the survey.

This work was support by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant for Associate Professor Burton [Grant Number: APP1174739]. The funders had no role in this research outside of funding.

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EB, JC, BT conceptualized the study, EB collected the data, EB analyzed the data, all authors interpreted the findings after initial analysis. EB, JC wrote the first draft, all authors read, edited and approve the final manuscript.

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Burton, E., Chonody, J., Teater, B. et al. Goal setting in later life: an international comparison of older adults’ defined goals. BMC Geriatr 24 , 443 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-05017-x

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3 Popular Goal-Setting Techniques Managers Should Avoid

Be wise, not SMART.

In 2002, professors Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham published a summary of their 25 years of research on goal-setting, which could have been the final word in how to create goals. But many organizations don’t follow Locke and Latham’s advice. In fact, there are three techniques common in today’s organizations that go directly against their findings: SMART goals, cascading goals, and percentage weights that indicate relative goal importance. The SMART method (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound) encourages people to set low goals instead of demanding goals that generate the greatest levels of effort and performance. Cascading goals start with the president setting their goals, then the VP, then the directors, and so on, with each level supporting the one above. In practice, nobody can begin the goal-setting process until their boss has created their own goals, so the process drags on interminably. Assigning percentage weights to goals to indicate their relative importance is counterproductive because it’s impossible to accurately identify the relative importance of goals to a 5% level of granularity. This method also results in an overly mathematical approach to performance appraisals.

In 2002, professors Edwin A. Locke and Gary P. Latham, two of the best known academic researchers on goal-setting, wrote an article in American Psychologist summarizing their 35 years of research . Among their findings:

• Dick Grote is a management consultant in Dallas, Texas, and the author of How to Be Good at Performance Appraisals , published by the Harvard Business Review Press.

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Everything counts!

Research finds step-count and time are equally valid in reducing health risks

Kira Sampson

BWH Communications

A new study suggests that both step-count and time-based exercise goals are equally effective in reducing risks of heart disease and early death.

Researchers from Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital reviewed data on healthy women age 62+, who used wearable devices to record their physical activity, and then tracked their health outcomes. After a median follow-up of nine years, the researchers found higher levels of physical activity, whether in time of exercise or step counts, were associated with large risk reductions in mortality and cardiovascular disease. The most active quarter of women in the study had a 30 to 40 percent reduced risk compared to the least active quarter.

Results of the study are published in JAMA Internal Medicine . 

“We recognized that existing physical activity guidelines focus primarily on activity duration and intensity but lack step-based recommendations,” said lead author Rikuta Hamaya, a researcher in the  Division of Preventive Medicine  at BWH. “With more people using smartwatches to measure their steps and overall health, we saw the importance of ascertaining how step-based measurements compare to time-based targets in their association with health outcomes — is one better than the other?” 

“Movement looks different for everyone, and nearly all forms of movement are beneficial to our health.”  Rikuta Hamaya

The current  U.S. guidelines , last updated in 2018, recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (e.g., brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (e.g., jogging) per week. At that time, most of the existing evidence on health benefits came from studies where participants self-reported their physical activity. Few data points existed on the relationship between steps and health. Fast-forward to the present — with wearables being ubiquitous, step counts are now a popular metric among many fitness-tracking platforms. How do time-based goals stack up against step-based ones? Investigators sought to answer this question. 

For this study, investigators collected data from 14,399 women who participated in the Women’s Health Study, and were healthy (free from cardiovascular disease and cancer). Between 2011 and 2015, participants aged 62 years and older were asked to wear research-grade wearables for seven consecutive days to record their physical activity levels, only removing the devices for sleep or water-related activities. Throughout the study period, annual questionnaires were administered to ascertain health outcomes of interest, in particular, death from any cause and cardiovascular disease. Investigators followed up with participants through the end of 2022. 

At the time of device wear, researchers found that participants engaged in a median of 62 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity per week and accumulated a median of 5,183 steps per day. During a median follow-up of nine years, approximately 9 percent of participants had passed and roughly 4 percent developed cardiovascular disease.

Higher levels of physical activity (whether assessed as step counts or time in moderate to vigorous activity) were associated with large risk reductions in death or cardiovascular disease — the most active quarter of women reduced their risk by 30-40 percent compared with the least-active quarter. Individuals in the top three quartiles of physical activity outlived those in the bottom quartile by an average of 2.22 and 2.36 months respectively, based on time and step-based measurements, at nine years of follow-up. This survival advantage persisted regardless of differences in body mass index (BMI). 

While both metrics are useful in portraying health status, Hamaya explained that each has its advantages and downsides. For one, step counts may not account for differences in fitness levels. For example, if a 20-year-old and 80-year-old both walk for 30 minutes at moderate intensity, their step counts may differ significantly. Conversely, steps are straightforward to measure and less subject to interpretation compared to exercise intensity. Additionally, steps capture even sporadic movements of everyday life, not just exercise, and these kinds of daily life activities likely are those carried out by older individuals. 

“For some, especially for younger individuals, exercise may involve activities like tennis, soccer, walking, or jogging, all of which can be easily tracked with steps. However, for others, it may consist of bike rides or swimming, where monitoring the duration of exercise is simpler,” said Hamaya. “That’s why it’s important for physical-activity guidelines to offer multiple ways to reach goals. Movement looks different for everyone, and nearly all forms of movement are beneficial to our health.” 

The authors note that this study incorporates only a single assessment of time and step-based physical activity metrics. Further, most women included in the study were white and of higher socioeconomic status. Finally, this study was observational, and thus causal relations cannot be proven. In the future, Hamaya aims to collect more data via a randomized controlled trial to better understand the relationship between time and step-based exercise metrics and health. 

“The next federal physical activity guidelines are planned for 2028,” said senior author I-Min Lee, an epidemiologist in the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH. “Our findings further establish the importance of adding step-based targets, in order to accommodate flexibility of goals that work for individuals with differing preferences, abilities and lifestyles.”  

Disclosures : Hamaya reported receiving consulting fees from DeSC Healthcare, Inc., outside of the submitted work. Co-authors Christopher Moore, Julie Buring, Kelly Evenson, and Lee reported receiving institutional support from the National Institutes of Health during the conduct of the study.

This research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (CA154647, CA047988, CA182913, HL043851, HL080467, and HL09935), the National Cancer Institute (5R01CA227122), Office of the Director, Office of Disease Prevention, and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research; and by the extramural research program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

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• Handwashing
• Hand Hygiene as a Family Activity
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• Handwashing Facts
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• Global Handwashing Day
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About Hand Hygiene for Patients in Healthcare Settings

• Patients in healthcare settings are at risk of getting infections while receiving treatment for other conditions.
• Cleaning your hands can prevent the spread of germs, including those that are resistant to antibiotics, and protects healthcare personnel and patients.
• Patients and their loved ones can play a role in asking and reminding healthcare personnel to clean their hands.

Your hands can spread germs.

• Hands have good germs that your body needs to stay healthy. Hands can also have bad germs on them that make you sick.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer kills most of the bad germs that make you sick.

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill the good and bad germs, but the good germs quickly come back on your hands.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer does not create antimicrobial-resistant germs.

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill germs quickly and in a different way than antibiotics.
• Using alcohol-based hand sanitizers to clean your hands does not cause antimicrobial resistance.

Steps to take

When patients and visitors should clean their hands.

• Before preparing or eating food.
• Before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Before and after changing wound dressings or bandages.
• After using the restroom.
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• After touching hospital surfaces such as bed rails, bedside tables, doorknobs, remote controls, or the phone.

How to clean hands

With an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:.

• Put product on hands and rub hands together.
• Cover all surfaces until hands feel dry.
• This should take around 20 seconds.

With soap and water:

• Wet your hands with warm water. Use liquid soap if possible. Apply a nickel- or quarter-sized amount of soap to your hands.
• Rub your hands together until the soap forms a lather and then rub all over the top of your hands, in between your fingers and the area around and under the fingernails.
• Continue rubbing your hands for at least 15 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice.
• Rinse your hands well under running water.
• Dry your hands using a paper towel if possible. Then use your paper towel to turn off the faucet and to open the door if needed.

Clean Hands Count Campaign Materials‎

Ask your healthcare provider to clean their hands.

• Wearing gloves alone is not enough for your healthcare provider to prevent the spread of infection.
• "Before you start the exam, would you mind cleaning your hands again?"
• "Would it be alright if you cleaned your hands before changing my bandages?"
• "I didn't see you clean your hands when you came in, would you mind cleaning them again before you examine me?"
• "I'm worried about germs spreading in the hospital. Will you please clean your hands once more before you start my treatment?"

Speak up for clean hands in healthcare settings

• Clean your own hands and ask those around you to do the same.
• Don't be afraid to use your voice: it's okay to ask your healthcare provider to clean their hands.
• "I saw you clean your hands when you arrived some time ago, but would you mind cleaning them again?"

Frequently asked questions

Is there such a thing as too clean.

• Germs are everywhere. They are within and on our bodies and on every surface you touch. But not all germs are bad. We need some of these germs to keep us healthy and our immune system strong.
• Your hands have good germs on them that your body needs to stay healthy. These germs live under the deeper layers of the skin.
• Your hands can also have bad germs on them that make you sick. These germs live on the surface and are easily killed/wiped away by the alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the preferred way for to keep your hands clean.

Washing with soap and water: 15 versus 20 seconds

• Wash your hands for more than 15 seconds, not exactly 15 seconds.
• The time it takes is less important than making sure you clean all areas of your hands.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are the preferred way to clean your hands in healthcare facilities.

Which one? Soap and water versus alcohol-based hand sanitizer

An alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the preferred method for cleaning your hands when they are not visibly dirty because it:

• Is more effective at killing potentially deadly germs on hands than soap.
• when moving from soiled to clean activities with the same patient or resident.
• when moving between patients or residents in shared rooms or common areas.
• Improves skin condition with less irritation and dryness than soap and water.

Guidelines for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings Published 2002

Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings

What CDC is doing

CDC's Clean Hands Count campaign offers posters, factsheets, and brochures for healthcare providers and patients.

Keep reading: Clean Hands Count materials

Healthcare personnel

When and how to practice hand hygiene. Learn more .

New Training and Education Resources available for Healthcare Professionals.

Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings Video Series link: Education Courses | Hand Hygiene | CDC

Clean Hands

Having clean hands is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others.

For Everyone

Health care providers.