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Foodborne disease (FBD) is a significant public health problem in the 21st century. Most consumers believe that food manufacturing facilities and restaurants are the most likely place for food safety problems to occur and homes are the least likely. In reality, food mishandling in home kitchens likely causes a significant amount of FBD. </p>
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There has been little research examining consumer food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. However, the high rate and cost of FBD indicate that something must be done to improve consumers' food safety practices. </p>
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Study of the obstacles to adopting safe food habits, including food safety knowledge and factors affecting attitudes and behaviors can help food safety educators better understanding of why people engage in risky behaviors and improve food safety education interventions. </P>
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The purposes of this study are to:
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<li> investigate obstacles to adopting safe food handling and consumption behaviors encountered by young adults, a consumer group at risk of mishandling food; </li>
<li> examine the relationships between personal characteristics, food safety knowledge, and food handling and consumption practices; </li>
<li> develop recommendations for future food safety education interventions; </li>
<li> use the recommendations to create food safety instructional materials and assess their impact on consumer knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviors; and </li>
<li> test the validity of the recommendations via a social marketing campaign that meets the informational needs of young adults and motivates them to change their behaviors. </li></ol></p>
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Objective 1. To conduct a national online survey to investigate the obstacles to adopting safe food handling and consumption behaviors encountered by consumers at increased risk of mishandling food [i.e., young adults (age 18 to 29) who have education beyond high school]. </p>
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This survey will: assess knowledge of safe food handling and consumption using situational-based and competency-based questions; investigate psychosocial factors (i.e., attitudes, locus of control, self-efficacy, and stage of change) related to safe food handling and consumption; and, examine self-reported food handling (e.g., hand washing, cross-contamination prevention) and consumption (e.g., eating raw or undercooked animal protein) behaviors.</p>
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Objective 2. To examine actual food handling practices of a quota controlled subgroup. This examination will: assess actual food handling practices (e.g., hand washing, cross-contamination prevention) during food preparation to determine which recommended food safety practices are used and identify problem behaviors; explore via a semi-structure interview why participants did or did not engage in expected safe food handling procedures when their food handling practices were being observed; audit home food storage and rotation practices (e.g., time, temperature), sanitation and chemical storage, and general kitchen condition (e.g., infestation, maintenance, plumbing). </p>
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Objective 3. To examine the impact and relative impact of demographic characteristics, food safety knowledge, and food safety-related psychosocial factors on food handling and consumption practices (reported and actual) and develop recommendations for the design of future educational interventions to improve food safety behaviors of young adults with education beyond high school. </p>
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Objective 4. To use recommendations for the design of food safety educational interventions for young adults with education beyond high school to create food safety undergraduate course instructional materials appropriate for nutrition, food science, nursing, health education, and family and/or consumer sciences education courses and assess their impact on student knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviors. </p>
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Objective 5. To use recommendations for the design of food safety educational interventions for young adults with education beyond high school to create food safety intervention media to be implemented and evaluated in a multi-state university-based food safety social marketing campaign. </p>
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A national online survey of young adults (i.e., age 18 to 29) (n=3000) who have completed at least 1 semester of post-secondary schooling will be conducted to assess their knowledge of safe food handling and consumption, investigate psychosocial factors related to safe food handling and consumption, and examine self-reported food handling and consumption behaviors. </p>
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To examine actual food handling practices, a subgroup of study participants (n=150) will be recruited to prepare a meal under observation in a controlled laboratory setting; participate in a structured interview to explore why the participant did or did not engage in expected safe food handling procedures; and permit an auditor to inspect their home kitchen and assess home food storage and rotation practices, sanitation and chemical storage, and general kitchen condition. </P>
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Results from this study's National Online Consumer Survey and Consumer Food Handling Observations will be used to determine the impact and relative importance of demographic characteristics, food safety knowledge, and food safety-related psychosocial factors to food handling and consumption practices (reported and actual) and home food storage and rotation practices. </p>
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Food safety experts will meet to discuss the study results and identify recommendations that will identify key food safety objectives and messages to highlight in future food safety interventions for young adults. Young adults will also be recruited to identify barriers to receiving and accepting desired food safety behavioral changes; describe how to best capture their interest in relation to food safety; and identify how they would prefer these messages to be delivered. </P>
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The recommendations for the design of food safety educational interventions for young adults will be used to create food safety presentations for use in undergraduate course instruction either in the classroom or as web-based self-instruction. The recommendations also will be used to create food safety intervention media to be implemented and evaluated in a multi-state university-based food safety social marketing campaign. </P>
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The researchers will gather audience segment input, via focus groups, throughout the design stage of the social marketing campaign materials. Participating sites will be provided with multiple copies of the materials developed for this project and instructed to evaluate the campaign by determining whether each component of the campaign was completed and when, how well each aspect of the campaign worked, barriers and facilitators to implementation and completion, the number of individuals reached, and the profile of those reached in comparison to the intended audience profile. </p>
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The institutions implementing the campaign also will determine whether the target audience is aware of the campaign and identify any cognitive, attitudinal, and/or behavioral changes. </p>