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Food safety self-reported behaviors and cognitions of young adults: results of a national study.
J Food Prot. 2007 Aug; 70(8):1917-26.JF

Abstract

With limited opportunities to learn safe food handling via observation, many young adults lack the knowledge needed to keep them safe from foodborne disease. It is important to reach young adults with food safety education because of their current and future roles as caregivers. With a nationwide online survey, the demographic characteristics, self-reported food handling and consumption behaviors, food safety beliefs, locus of control, self-efficacy, stage of change, and knowledge of young adults with education beyond high school (n = 4,343) were assessed. Young adults (mean age, 19.92 +/- 1.67 SD) who participated were mainly female, white, never married, and freshmen or sophomores. Participants correctly answered 60% of the knowledge questions and were most knowledgeable about groups at greatest risk for foodborne disease and least knowledgeable about common food sources of foodborne disease pathogens. They reported less than optimal levels of safe food handling practices. Young adults generally had a limited intake of foods that increase the risk of foodborne disease, positive food safety beliefs, an internal food safety locus of control, and confidence in their ability to handle food safely, and they were contemplating an improvement in, or preparing to improve, their food handling practices. Females significantly outperformed males on nearly all study measures. Future food safety educational efforts should focus on increasing knowledge and propelling young adults into the action stage of safe food handling, especially males. Efforts to improve knowledge and, ultimately, food safety behaviors are essential to safeguard the health of these young adults and enable them to fulfill the role of protecting the health of their future families.

Authors+Show Affiliations

Byrd-Bredbenner C
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA.
Maurer J
No affiliation info available
Wheatley V
No affiliation info available
Schaffner D
No affiliation info available
Bruhn C
No affiliation info available
Blalock L
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdultConsumer Product SafetyFemaleFood ContaminationFood HandlingFood MicrobiologyFoodborne DiseasesHealth BehaviorHealth EducationHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansHygieneMaleSelf DisclosureSelf Efficacy

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Language

eng

PubMed ID

17803150

Citation

Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol, et al. "Food Safety Self-reported Behaviors and Cognitions of Young Adults: Results of a National Study." Journal of Food Protection, vol. 70, no. 8, 2007, pp. 1917-26.
Byrd-Bredbenner C, Maurer J, Wheatley V, et al. Food safety self-reported behaviors and cognitions of young adults: results of a national study. J Food Prot. 2007;70(8):1917-26.
Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Maurer, J., Wheatley, V., Schaffner, D., Bruhn, C., & Blalock, L. (2007). Food safety self-reported behaviors and cognitions of young adults: results of a national study. Journal of Food Protection, 70(8), 1917-26.
Byrd-Bredbenner C, et al. Food Safety Self-reported Behaviors and Cognitions of Young Adults: Results of a National Study. J Food Prot. 2007;70(8):1917-26. PubMed PMID: 17803150.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Food safety self-reported behaviors and cognitions of young adults: results of a national study. AU - Byrd-Bredbenner,Carol, AU - Maurer,Jaclyn, AU - Wheatley,Virginia, AU - Schaffner,Donald, AU - Bruhn,Christine, AU - Blalock,Lydia, PY - 2007/9/7/pubmed PY - 2007/9/26/medline PY - 2007/9/7/entrez SP - 1917 EP - 26 JF - Journal of food protection JO - J Food Prot VL - 70 IS - 8 N2 - With limited opportunities to learn safe food handling via observation, many young adults lack the knowledge needed to keep them safe from foodborne disease. It is important to reach young adults with food safety education because of their current and future roles as caregivers. With a nationwide online survey, the demographic characteristics, self-reported food handling and consumption behaviors, food safety beliefs, locus of control, self-efficacy, stage of change, and knowledge of young adults with education beyond high school (n = 4,343) were assessed. Young adults (mean age, 19.92 +/- 1.67 SD) who participated were mainly female, white, never married, and freshmen or sophomores. Participants correctly answered 60% of the knowledge questions and were most knowledgeable about groups at greatest risk for foodborne disease and least knowledgeable about common food sources of foodborne disease pathogens. They reported less than optimal levels of safe food handling practices. Young adults generally had a limited intake of foods that increase the risk of foodborne disease, positive food safety beliefs, an internal food safety locus of control, and confidence in their ability to handle food safely, and they were contemplating an improvement in, or preparing to improve, their food handling practices. Females significantly outperformed males on nearly all study measures. Future food safety educational efforts should focus on increasing knowledge and propelling young adults into the action stage of safe food handling, especially males. Efforts to improve knowledge and, ultimately, food safety behaviors are essential to safeguard the health of these young adults and enable them to fulfill the role of protecting the health of their future families. SN - 0362-028X UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/17803150/Food_safety_self_reported_behaviors_and_cognitions_of_young_adults:_results_of_a_national_study_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -