title: Food safety educational intervention positively influences college students' food safety attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and self-reported practices.
abstract: In this study, the authors evaluated college students' food safety attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and self-reported practices and explored whether these variables were positively influenced by educational intervention. Students (n=59), were mostly seniors, health or non-health majors, and responsible for meal preparation. Subjects completed a food safety questionnaire (FSQ) prior to educational intervention, which consisted of three interactive modules. Subjects completed module pre-, post-, and post-posttests. The FSQ was also administered after exposure to intervention and five weeks later to determine changes in food safety attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and self-reported practices. Students' FSQ attitude scores increased from 114 to 122 (p < or = .001); FSQ belief and knowledge scores improved from 86 to 98 (p < or = .001) and from 11 to 13 (p < or = .001), respectively. Food safety knowledge was also measured by module pre- and posttests, and improved significantly after intervention for all students, with health majors having the greatest increase. Intervention resulted in improved food safety self-reported practices for health majors only. The educational intervention appeared effective in improving food safety beliefs and knowledge. For health majors, attitudes and some self-reported practices improved. For all areas, the strongest effects were seen in health majors.
authors.affiliation: Kansas State University, Dept. of Human Nutrition, Manhattan, KS 66506-1407, USA. lyarrow@ksu.edu
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yarrow
authors.forename: Valentina M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Remig
authors.forename: Mary Meck
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult