An Examination Of The Food Safety Information Sources And Channels Utilized And Trusted By Residents Of Lubbock, Texas

Consumer risk perception and trusted sources of food safety information during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeConsumers often use inappropriate food‐handling practices and improving these could help to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease. However the development of an effective food safety education strategy is considered complex and could be improved by having a greater understanding of the consumer. This paper proposes investigating the modes and channels of communication that maybe used in education strategies.Design/methodology/approachA self‐complete postal questionnaire was distributed to a linked demographic quota of adults in South Wales. Responses were entered into a specially constructed food safety database.FindingsResults indicated that the Environmental Health departments and UK Food Standards Agency were perceived to be the most trusted and credible organisations that can provide food safety information. The most believable spokespersons for promotion of food safety advice were determined as Environmental Health officers and the Chief Medical Officer. The most preferred source of food safety information identified were food packaging, followed by advice from a medical doctor.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough only a relatively small sample size, many of the findings have been corroborated by qualitative data from nationwide focus groups. The data have been used as the precursor for a large nationwide study of over 2,000 consumers and this should further validate the data.Originality/valueThe results will be of benefit to a range of organisations currently engaged in food safety education as well as identifying potentially underutilised channels of communication.

Food safety education attitude and practice among health professionals in China, Peru, and the U.S.

Use of electronic group method in assessing food safety training needs and delivery methods among international college students in the U.S.

Surveying citizens on food safety

Following various national HIV and AIDS awareness campaign activities under the auspices of the Ministries of Health and Education, Zimbabwe, an AIDS KABP survey was undertaken. The study sample comprised 478 high school students randomly selected and stratified to represent sex and Forms 1 through to 6. The study instrument was a 31-item questionnaire designed to assess the students' knowledge, attitudes, practices and sources of information in relation to HIV syndrome. This report reviews only that part of the study dealing with sources of information. Newspapers, television, radio and magazine were the most frequently cited sources of first information. Classmates were cited by 20% to over 30% of respondents as first sources of information. Authority figures like health workers, parents, teachers, the Church did not emerge as significant sources of first information. Doctors were identified as the most preferred source of information in future. Sources of first information were related to age, form level, sex and location of school attended. There were notable differences between boarding school respondents and day scholars. No regional differences were noted.

Understanding the preferred sources of health-related information among patients with cancer is essential for designing successful cancer education and prevention strategies. However, little is known about health-related information-seeking practices among patients living in low- and middle-income countries. We studied the preferred sources of health-related information among Mexican patients with cancer and explored which factors influence these choices. The health-related information-seeking practices among patients with cancer treated at a public hospital in Mexico City were evaluated using questions from the Spanish Version of the Health Information National Trends Survey. The characteristics of patients who sought health-related information, and of those who chose the internet as their preferred source of information, were analyzed. Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were used for statistical analyses. One hundred forty-eight patients answered the survey (median age 60years, 70% female), of which 88 (59%) had sought for health-related information. On multivariate analysis, the only characteristic associated with lower odds of seeking health-related information was increasing age (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.90-0.97). Sixty-one respondents (69%) listed the internet as their preferred source of health-related information. On multivariate analysis, only being of the female gender (OR 4.9, 95% CI 1.3-18.3) was related with higher odds of preferring other sources of information over the internet. Among Mexican patients with cancer, the Internet is the most widely used information source. Older age was the characteristic most strongly associated with not seeking health-related information, while being female was strongly associated with preferring other sources of information over the Internet.

Assessing food safety knowledge and preferred information sources among 19–29 year olds

The household kitchen as the ‘last line of defense’ in the prevention of foodborne illness: A review and analysis of meat and seafood recipes in 30 popular Canadian cookbooks

BackgroundIn Ontario, local public health inspectors play an important frontline role in protecting the public from foodborne illness. This study was an in-depth exploration of public health inspectors' perceptions of the key food safety issues in public health, and their opinions and needs with regards to food safety information resources.MethodsFour focus group discussions were conducted with public health inspectors from the Central West region of Ontario, Canada during June and July, 2008. A questioning route was used to standardize qualitative data collection. Audio recordings of sessions were transcribed verbatim and data-driven content analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 23 public health inspectors participated in four focus group discussions. Five themes emerged as key food safety issues: time-temperature abuse, inadequate handwashing, cross-contamination, the lack of food safety knowledge by food handlers and food premise operators, and the lack of food safety information and knowledge about specialty foods (i.e., foods from different cultures). In general, participants reported confidence with their current knowledge of food safety issues and foodborne pathogens. Participants highlighted the need for a central source for food safety information, access to up-to-date food safety information, resources in different languages, and additional food safety information on specialty foods.ConclusionsThe information gathered from these focus groups can provide a basis for the development of resources that will meet the specific needs of public health inspectors involved in protecting and promoting food safety.

Many studies on food safety cognition and practice intervention among university students exist, but only few conduct needs assessment surveys. In recent years, We-media has been applied in the field of health education and promotion, but its application in food safety intervention is limited at home and abroad. This study aimed to explore the current situation of We-media use and assess the needs for food safety information through We-media among junior students of an education and a medical university. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among junior students of an education and a medical university in Chongqing, China in 2016. A total of 1,250 education students and 1,434 medical students participated in the questionnaire survey. Findings revealed that 71.4% and 64.8% of the education and medical students were willing to accept food safety educational information by We-media, respectively. In addition, 47.6% and 48.8% of the education and medical students were willing to accept food safety information through WeChat official accounts, respectively. Among the education students, 83.8%, 63.9%, 59.6%, and 13.0% wanted to acquire food safety knowledge by picture, text, video, and voice, respectively. Of the medical students, 84.7%, 67.7%, 62.3%, and 11.9% wanted to acquire food safety knowledge by picture, text, video, and voice, respectively. Gender, school category, and whether food safety information is given attention were the influencing factors of participants' willingness to accept such information through We-media (p<0.05). This study indicated that We-media could be an appropriate intervention approach for the junior students of an education and a medical university to accept food safety intervention. WeChat was also revealed as the best platform. Pictures, text messages, and videos were observed the most popular means for students to acquire food safety knowledge.

ABSTRACTThis study considered the efficiency with which food safety information is received and retained by low-income consumers in South Africa. Primary data from 110 low-income, urban, food consumers around Gauteng were collected and analysed with a willingness to pay (WTP) experiment and a proportional odds model. The study found that initially, 47% of the respondents claimed to know what Listeriosis is. Data validation, and a WTP experiment, however, suggest that there is social acceptability response bias. The proportional odds model further showed that education level is significant in explaining the level of food safety knowledge, but income is not. These results serve as an approximation of the degree of information asymmetry between low-income, urban food consumers and the South African government.

Building community capacity for outbreak preparedness requires understanding modifiable factors that encourage individuals to act. The current study assesses three key interrelationships with likelihood to prepare for a future outbreak: perceived importance of preparation, perceived ability to prepare, and preferred sources of outbreak information. The study used data from a 2023 online panel survey of adults living in the United States with 4,184 responses weighted to reflect national demographics. Perceived importance of outbreak preparedness, perceived ability to prepare, and likelihood to take actions in a future outbreak were estimated using composite measures derived from survey questions. Preferred sources of outbreak information were measured by subtracting the number of more "informal sources sought," eg, social media, friends, and family, selected from the number of "formal sources sought," eg, governmental websites. Direct effects linear regression models identified that a greater perception of importance and ability were each associated with a greater likelihood to prepare, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and household income (p < 0.001). Likewise, a greater preference for more formal information sources was also associated with more future outbreak preparedness actions taken (p < 0.001). The relationship between perceived importance and perceived ability on the likelihood of preparing differed based on information source preferences (p < 0.05). For those with low perceived importance or ability to prepare and a stronger preference for informal information sources, their likelihood of preparing for a future outbreak is significantly lower than for those with formal information source preferences; however, as perceived importance or ability to prepare increases, this gap is closed. Results suggest that perceptions of self-efficacy, including ability and importance, are critical to preparing for a future outbreak and that information sources also play an important role. These results highlight that if we can build the perceived importance of and remove barriers to preparation, we can increase outbreak preparedness actions regardless of which information sources are most trusted by individuals.

Food safety is an important indicator of public health, as foodborne illnesses continue to cause productivity and economic loss. In recent years, web-based applications have been extensively used by the online users’ population. Almost one third (28.3%) of online users found web-based application to be a notable source of food safety information. The objective of the current review is to determine the effectiveness of a web-based application systems as a health promotion tool for consumers to increase their knowledge and awareness of food safety. A systematic literature review was conducted by analyzing 11 selected web-based food safety education-related articles. The studies were categorized into several themes: (1) web-based applications used in accessing food safety information; (2) food safety evaluation and perception among consumers; (3) beliefs and level of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of consumers; and (4) impact and contribution of social media use. A diverse number of online applications have been utilized to promote food safety education among consumers, yet these web-based applications need to be improved with regards to social connection and integration among consumers. KAP surveys were conducted on the majority of the respondents with a particular focus on their knowledge level. Findings show that web-based applications may act as an alternative to the traditional media in enhancing food safety education among consumers, especially youths who are tech-savvy.

The role of personal information sources on the decision-making process of Costa Rican dairy farmers