ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1681360
Higher BMI and extraversion are associated with greater button-press force in a lab setting
Provisionally accepted
- 1Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
- 2Chongqing City Vocational College, Chongqing, China
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Surface transmission is a major route for gastrointestinal infections, with risk driven by human touch behaviors and microbial transfer rates. Greater touch force generally increases microbial transfer rates—a pattern supported by previous studies, which suggests that increased force may enhance the potential for surface transmission. This study aims to clarify individual differences in touch force and consider how these differences might relate to microbial transfer potential based on existing evidence. We recruited 115 participants and recorded force during two common touches—typing (complex) and elevator-button presses (simple)—using a touch-sensing device. Demographic attributes and personality traits of the participants were assessed through questionnaires. In simple touches, higher BMI (r = 0.35, 95% CI [0.17, 0.51], p < 0.01; Beta = 0.32, 95% CI [0.10, 0.54], p < 0.05) and extraversion (r = 0.21, 95% CI [0.02, 0.38], p < 0.05; Beta = 0.25, 95% CI [0.03, 0.47], p < 0.05) predicted greater force; no demographic attributes or personality variables influenced complex touches, and sex had no effect. In practical terms, individuals with higher BMI or extraversion may disproportionately contaminate—and be exposed to—high-touch surfaces.
Keywords: surface touch force, demographic, Personality, Surface transmission, Film pressure sensor, touch behaviors
Received: 07 Aug 2025; Accepted: 16 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chang, Yang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nan Zhang, zhangn@bjut.edu.cn
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