Physicians as Food‐Safety Educators: A Practices and Perceptions Survey

Abstract

An estimated 4 million bacterial foodborne illnesses occur in the United States annually. Many of these illnesses can be prevented by educating the public about food-safety practices. We investigated both the role of physicians as food-safety educators and the barriers to providing food-safety information. Participants were randomly selected physicians (n=3117) practicing within the surveillance area of the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network; 1100 were included in the study. Although only 331 (30%) of 1110 respondents provided food-safety information to their patients, 524 (68%) of 769 who did not provide information expressed interest in doing so. Physicians were more likely to provide food-safety information to patients if they perceived foodborne disease to be a serious problem, perceived food-safety education as their role, felt that patients perceived them as a valuable resource for food-safety advice, or felt comfortable making food-safety recommendations. A national physician education campaign that addresses barriers in food-safety education could improve food-safety education by physicians.

Food safety training and evaluation of handwashing intention among fresh produce farm workers

“…Interventions such as improving food handling practices and food safety campaigns are necessary to reduce foodborne illnesses (Wong et al, 2004). However, Redmond and Griffith (2003) noticed that despite educational efforts and food safety training, unsafe food handling practices are still frequently used.…”

Designing effective messages for microbial food safety hazards

“…The impact of a food safety hazard can be amplified by the nature of current food processing and distribution systems (Lammerding & Paoli, 1997;Woteki, Facinoli, & Schor, 2001). To reduce the incidence of foodborne illness, interventions are necessary throughout the food safety continuum (Wong et al, 2004). Despite the efforts of food safety information campaigns and educational efforts, food remains a prevalent vehicle of disease (Redmond & Griffith, 2003).…”

Food Safety Guidance for Older Adults

“…Health care professionals can play an important role in preventing foodborne illness by educating their patients about the risks of foodborne illness, making rapid, appropriate diagnoses, and reporting cases promptly to public health authorities [15]. Wong et al [16] reported that physicians are more likely to discuss food safety issues with their patients if the physician perceives foodborne disease to be a serious problem, considers him or herself to be an important source of food safety information, and is comfortable making food safety recommendations. The purpose of this article is to explore factors that contribute to the increased susceptibility to and severity of foodborne illnesses among older adults, discuss pathat Purdue University Libraries ADMN on http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from ogens of particular importance for elderly persons, and provide food safety recommendations that can be used with confidence in providing guidance to elderly patients.…”