Food Safety Knowledge and Practices among Older Adults: Identifying Causes and Solutions for Risky Behaviors

Abstract

Adults aged 60 years and older are more likely than younger adults to experience complications, hospitalization, and death because of food-borne infections. Recognizing this risk, we conducted a nationally representative survey (n = 1,140) to characterize older adults’ food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices as well as the demographic characteristics of older adults with risky food handling practices. The survey was conducted using a Web-enabled panel. We found that although older adults consider themselves to be knowledgeable about food safety, many are not following recommended food safety practices. Areas for improvement include the following: reheating deli meats to steaming hot, not eating store-bought deli salads, cooking eggs properly, monitoring refrigerator temperature using a thermometer, using a food thermometer to check doneness of meat/poultry/egg dishes, and storing leftovers properly. The survey results also suggest that food safety education targeting older adults is needed and that such initiatives should emphasize practices to prevent listeriosis, a potentially fatal illness among older adults. Our findings suggest that, in particular, men, individuals with higher incomes, and college-educated individuals would benefit from food safety education.

KEYWORDS:

• education
• food consumption
• food handling
• food safety
• food-borne illness

This work was funded through a grant from the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES, USDA grant no. 2006-51110-03611). All views expressed here are those of the authors and not necessarily of CSREES, USDA.

Notes

∗The weighted percentage was calculated as follows: number of individuals who had not heard or read about the recommendation divided by the number who reported not following recommendation × 100.

∗The weighted percentage was calculated as follows: number of individuals who had not heard or read about the recommendation divided by the number who reported not following recommendation × 100.

^∗∗Not asked.