Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
Consumer Education and Information/Research
Final Report 2/23/01
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The Research Triangle Institute (RTI) is conducting a multi-year evaluation of the Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR/HACCP) Systems; Final Rule for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA, FSIS). As part of the evaluation study, RTI is conducting an evaluation of consumer education programs.
RTI conducted focus groups with consumers in spring 2000 to test food safety messages and to identify effective delivery mechanisms for these messages. 1 This study found that consumers are not aware that pregnant women are a high-risk group for foodborne illness and are unfamiliar with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).
1 See " PR/HACCP Rule Evaluation Report, Focus Group Study on Food Safety Messages and Delivery Mechanisms," 12/14/00.
To help FSIS determine how to effectively reach pregnant women with food
safety messages on listeriosis, RTI conducted eight focus groups with pregnant
women in four different locations. 2 The
objectives of the focus group study were to (1) test and refine existing FSIS
food safety messages on listeriosis and (2) identify effective delivery
mechanisms for the refined messages. In addition, we collected information on
participants' concerns about foodborne illness; their general food safety
knowledge; their use of safe handling practices; their food safety concerns
during pregnancy; and how participants prepare and store hot dogs, luncheon/deli meats, and deli salads, deli spreads, and pâtés containing meat or poultry.
3
2 The PR/HACCP evaluation study provided funding for two of the focus groups,
and FSIS's Food Safety Education Staff (FSES) provided funding for six of the
focus groups. 3 Because only a small number of participants eat deli salads, deli spreads,
and pâtés, we only report results for hot dogs and luncheon meats.
This report presents our key findings and recommendations, describes the
study design, discusses the results of the Pre-Discussion Survey 4
and the focus
group discussions, and presents recommendations for educating pregnant women
about Lm and listeriosis. The Final Report notebook contains detailed
summaries of each focus group and an analysis of the Pre-Discussion Survey data.
4 Participants completed the Pre-Discussion Survey— a 39-item questionnaire
that collects information on safe handling practices, preparation and storage of
the targeted products, and participant demographics— prior to the focus group
discussion.
The key findings from the Pre-Discussion Survey and the focus group discussions are summarized below.
5 USDA recommends that pregnant women reheat hot dogs and luncheon meats to steaming hot and use a cover when microwaving these products.
6 Ibid.
Participants evaluated the two-color, four-panel brochure, "Listeriosis and Food Safety Tips," developed by USDA, FSIS (Figure 1). Participants generally liked the brochure on listeriosis.
Participants suggested changes to improve the brochure. These suggestions are summarized in the Results section.
The images below link to a PDF
version of the brochure.
An HTML (text) version is also available.
Our main recommendations are listed below and discussed in the Recommendations section of this report:
Educate pregnant women on steps they and people who prepare food for them can take to prevent listeriosis.
Revise the brochure and target it specifically to pregnant women.
RTI conducted a total of eight focus groups— two groups in each of four different locations (Manchester, New Hampshire; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Raleigh, North Carolina). We selected these locations because they are small-to-medium sized cities. For each location, we conducted one focus group with individuals who have a high school education or less and one focus group with individuals who are college graduates.
We recruited participants to reflect the racial diversity of the area in which the focus groups were conducted. Participants had to meet the following eligibility criteria: are at least 12 weeks pregnant; have primary responsibility or share responsibility for cooking in their household; prepare meals at least three times a week; are not vegetarian; and often or sometimes eat luncheon meats, hot dogs, deli salads, or deli spreads/pâtés. Participants included women who have other children as well as those in their first pregnancy. Each group included seven or eight participants, for a total of 63 participants.
Findings from the Pre-Discussion Survey are highlighted below, along with the qualitative information gathered in the focus group discussions.
Participants discussed measures they take at home to protect their families from foodborne illness. The Pre-Discussion Survey also collected information on the prevalence of certain safe handling practices. The Pre-Discussion Survey findings on participants' use of safe handling practices are summarized below. 7
These findings are generally consistent with the
results of the 1998 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/FSIS Food Safety Survey.
8 While the majority of participants follow proper cleaning practices, many do
not refrigerate leftovers immediately or use a food thermometer to check for the safe internal temperature of meat and
poultry.
7 Because a probability-based sample was not used, the results from the
Pre-Discussion Survey should not be generalized to the population of pregnant
women in any statistical sense.
8 The FDA/FSIS Food Safety Survey is conducted every 5 years and collects
information on consumer food safety perceptions, knowledge, and behavior.
Table 1 summarizes participants' responses on how they prepare and store hot dogs and luncheon meats.
Percentage of Participants (%) | |
---|---|
Hot Dogs | |
Eat hot dogs during pregnancy | 81 |
Frequency of eating hot dogs | |
Less than once a month | 35 |
1 to 2 times a month | 55 |
3 or more times a month | 10 |
Usual method for preparing hot dogs | |
Cold out of the package | 2 |
Boil | 35 |
Microwave | 31 |
Grill | 26 |
Other (e. g., panfry or combination of methods) | 6 |
Store unopened packages and then eat | |
2 weeks or less b | 80 |
Longer than 2 weeks | 10 |
Until expiration date | 4 |
Don't know/no answer | 6 |
Store opened packages and then eat | |
7 days or less or freeze after opening b | 88 |
Longer than 7 days | 6 |
Until expiration date | 2 |
Don't know/no answer | 4 |
Luncheon Meats | |
Eat luncheon meats during pregnancy | 95 |
Frequency of eating luncheon meats | |
Less than once a month | 7 |
1 to 2 times a month | 25 |
3 or more times a month | 68 |
Usual method for preparing luncheon meats | |
Eat them cold | 98 |
Heat them so they are warm | 2 |
Store unopened luncheon meat packages (prepackaged) and then eat | |
2 weeks or less b | 82 |
Longer than 2 weeks | 11 |
Until expiration date | 5 |
Don't know/no answer | 2 |
Store opened luncheon meat packages (prepackaged) and then eat | |
5 days or less b | 45 |
Longer than 5 days | 53 |
Until expiration date | 2 |
Store luncheon meats purchased freshly sliced from the deli and then eat | |
5 days or less b | 65 |
Longer than 5 days | 35 |
a Because a probability-based sample was not used, the results from the Pre-Discussion Survey should not be generalized to the population of pregnant women in any statistical sense.
b Participants storing products for this time period are following the USDA recommended guidelines.
Evaluation of Listeriosis Educational Materials
Participants generally liked the brochure. Participants
Participants were not familiar with the information on Lm and listeriosis and most seemed surprised and concerned by the information presented.
Participants identified the following as effective messages to include in educational materials:
Participants suggested the following changes to improve the brochure:
Participants in two focus groups evaluated the video news release (VNR), "Preventing Illness from Listeria Monocytogenes," developed by FSIS. 9 This 2-minute VNR identifies the populations at risk for listeriosis and provides guidelines for at-risk populations. Participants liked the VNR and said that it would be useful for generating awareness of listeriosis. Participants suggested that the VNR provide more information on the bacterium (Lm) itself (what it is, where it comes from, and how it gets into food), and more information on the illness (statistics on the number of illnesses and deaths attributed to Lm and the effects of listeriosis on the fetus and mother).
At the end of the discussion, we asked participants if they plan to make any changes based on what they learned in the focus group discussion. Some participants said that they plan to make changes, while others do not.
9 The original study design specified that four groups would evaluate the brochure and four groups would evaluate the VNR. After evaluating the VNR in two groups, we revised the study design and evaluated only the brochure in the remainder of the groups. FSIS decided that evaluating the VNR in two groups would be sufficient and wanted to get more feedback on the brochure.
Participants agreed that it is important for pregnant women to be educated about the risk of listeriosis. Participants' suggestions on how to inform pregnant women about listeriosis are summarized below.
Participants agreed that the best way to inform pregnant women about listeriosis is through obstetricians.
Participants also suggested dissemina-ting information on listeriosis to pregnant women through books, magazines, and web sites on prenatal care.
Most participants said that they read books and magazines on prenatal care during their pregnancy. Some participants also get information on prenatal care from the Internet. Some participants said that they get more prenatal care information from books and other sources than from their doctors.
Table 2 identifies participants' favorite books, magazines, and web sites for prenatal care information. The most popular prenatal book is What to Expect When You're Expecting. Referred to as, "the Bible for first-time mothers," this book is distributed by some doctors and insurance companies.
Books
Magazines
Web Sites
|
Other approaches for delivering information on listeriosis to pregnant women include the following:
Participants were divided as to whether displaying warning statements on packaging for hot dogs and luncheon meats would be effective.
Some participants said that it was appropriate to display warning messages on product packaging given the seriousness of the illness, although some wondered if people would actually notice warning messages. Some participants did not think warning messages are necessary and suggested that it would be more effective to increase general awareness of Lm.
Participants identified the need to increase awareness of Lm and listeriosis among the general population through the media.
Participants were very surprised that they had not heard of Lm prior to the discussion. Participants said that people need to become aware of Lm just like they are aware of E. coli and Salmonella. Participants thought media coverage would be effective in getting consumers' attention and increasing awareness of Lm. One participant stated, "If I see it on TV … then it sticks in my mind better than if I just quickly read over a brochure on it."
Participants suggested the following approaches for delivering information on listeriosis to the general population:
Recommendations based on the focus group findings are summarized below.
Educate pregnant women on steps they and people who prepare food for them can take to prevent listeriosis.
Nearly all participants were not aware that pregnant women and other high-risk groups should reheat luncheon meats. We recommend that USDA educate pregnant women and those who prepare food for them on the guidelines for preparing hot dogs and luncheon meats, the USDA recommended storage times for these products, and to not eat foods that have a greater risk of containing Lm as specified in the Listeria Action Plan recently released by FSIS and the FDA. Recommended delivery mechanisms for these messages are identified below.
Revise the brochure and target it specifically to pregnant women.
Participants suggested developing a brochure targeted to each high-risk population. Participants also suggested changes to improve the brochure. We recommend that FSIS develop a brochure for pregnant women incorporating the following changes:
Educate obstetricians so they can inform their patients.
Participants agreed that the best way to inform pregnant women about Lm and listeriosis is through obstetricians. Participants suggested including a brochure on listeriosis in the package of information provided at the first prenatal visit. Some participants suggested going a step further and having physicians give the brochure to their patients and discuss it with them.
Research with physicians suggests that it may be difficult to encourage obstetricians to provide their patients with information on listeriosis. Focus group research sponsored by the International Food Information Council found that physicians who treat patients at high risk for foodborne illness do not provide them with preventative information on food safety. 10 They believe that foodborne illness is less important than other topics, such as heart health, smoking, and drug/alcohol use.
We recommend that FSIS work with the American Medical
Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
(ACOG) to educate obstetricians so they can inform their patients. An important
first step toward educating physicians is the document, "Diagnosis and
Management of Foodborne Illnesses: A Primer for Physicians." 11 The primer
was developed in response to AMA member requests for guidance on foodborne illness. The primer includes a patient scenario on Lm. The
AMA is distributing copies of the publication on request and it is also
accessible through the AMA's web site.
10 "Physicians' Attitudes Toward Food Safety Education." September
2000. Final report prepared for International Food Information Council. Prepared
by Axiom Research Company.
11 "Diagnosis and Management of Foodborne Illnesses: A Primer for
Physicians." January 2001. Produced collaboratively by the AMA, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, FDA, and FSIS. <http://www.ama-assn.org/foodborne>.
Disseminate information on Lm to pregnant women using prenatal care information sources.
Participants said that they seek out information on prenatal care during their pregnancy. Participants rely on books, magazines, and the Internet for prenatal care information. Although some sources discuss food safety during pregnancy (e. g., do not eat soft cheeses), they do not include preparation guidelines for hot dogs and luncheon meats. We recommend that FSIS work with the prenatal care information sources identified in Table 2 to inform them about Lm and encourage them to report on Lm when discussing food safety.
Increase awareness of Lm in the general population via the media.
Participants were surprised that they were unaware of Lm and listeriosis given the seriousness of the illness. Participants said that for at-risk individuals to make behavior changes, awareness of Lm needs to be increased in the general population. Participants likened it to E. coli and how most consumers now know not to eat rare meat. Participants discussed the need to increase awareness of Lm via the media. Possible approaches for delivering information on Lm to the general population were identified in the Results section. Further analysis is required to determine which approaches would be most cost-effective.
Educate the general population on USDA recommended storage times for foods.
Findings from the Pre-Discussion Survey indicate that many participants do not observe the USDA recommended storage times for some products. Also, some participants refer to expiration dates after opening the package, which could potentially be an unsafe practice. Because Lm can grow at refrigerated temperatures, we recommend that FSIS educate consumers on the recommended storage times for meat and poultry products in future education efforts.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/research/lmfocus.htm
For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education Staff
Maildrop 5268
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Beltsville, MD 20705
Phone: (301) 504-9605
Fax: (301) 504-0203
E-mail: fsis.webmaster@usda.gov