Food safety training does not always result in behavior change, perhaps because of flaws inherent in traditional training designs. New technologies such as augmented reality headsets or head-mounted action cameras could transform the way food safety training is conducted in the food industry. Training conducted with wearable technology presents visual content in the first-person or actor's perspective, as opposed to the traditional third-person or observer perspective. This visual hands-on first-person perspective may provide an effective way of conveying information and encouraging behavior execution because it uses the mirror neuron system. There is little published literature about the impact of perspective on food safety training outcomes, such as motivation. The present study included a repeated-measures design to determine how first- and third-person camera angles affected hand washing training reactions among 108 currently employed restaurant food handlers. Participants were assessed on their posttraining compliance intentions, compliance self-efficacy, perceived utility of the training, overall satisfaction with the training, and video perspective preference. A significant proportion of food handlers (64%) preferred the first-person video perspective (z = 5.00, P < 0.001), and a significant correlation was found between compliance intentions and compliance self-efficacy (r(108) = 0.361, P < 0.001) for the first-person video. No significant differences in video preference were found for demographic variables, including age (χ2 (2, n = 104) = 1.69, P = 0.430), which suggests that the first-person training format appeals to a diverse workforce. These findings support the application of wearable technology to enhance hand washing training outcomes across a wide range of demographic groups. This research lays the framework for future studies to assess the impact of instructional design on compliance concerning hand washing and other food handling behaviors.

The present study evaluated simulated, hands on foodservice training delivered through smart glasses compared to passive, strictly video-based training. Handwashing performance variables, including frequency and efficacy, were measured along with post-training reactions. Participants in the strictly video-based group (N = 24) were four times more likely to wash hands than the smart glasses group (N = 25), (95% CI: 1.129 - 14.175). This research highlights how simulation training of handwashing with smart glasses can result in poorer learning outcomes compared to traditional training methods, potentially due to the psychological effects of hand cleansing. The observed training outcomes may also show the need to improve smart glasses-based training by finding ways to decrease attention demands and implementing augmented reality intelligence systems that can enforce training outcomes. Future research should utilize longitudinal studies to determine the impact of smart glasses-based training on food safety behavior habit formation. La présente étude a évalué une formation en service alimentaire active et appliquée, livrée par l’entremise de lunettes intelligentes, comparativement à une formation passive strictement basée sur la vidéo. Des variables de rendement relatives au lavage des mains ont été mesurées, y compris la fréquence et l’efficacité. Les participants du groupe dont la formation était strictement basée sur la vidéo (N = 24) étaient quatre fois plus susceptibles de se laver les mains que les participants du groupe aux lunettes intelligentes (N = 25), (95 % IC : 1,129 – 14,175). Les résultats soulignent que la formation par lunettes intelligentes dans laquelle les participants s’exercent à se laver les mains peut entraîner de moins bons résultats d’apprentissage que les méthodes de formation traditionnelles. Cela peut être dû à : a) la nature du contenu pédagogique, dans lequel la mémoire prospective intervient, comparativement à des études préalables avec l’apprentissage incarné et les lunettes intelligentes, qui ont évalué la mémoire rétrospective et les fonctions motrices, ou b) aux effets psychologiques sur la mémoire dont le groupe aux lunettes intelligentes aurait fait l’expérience durant la formation. Des études futures pourraient explorer l’effet de la formation par simulation à l’aide de lunettes intelligentes sur d’autres tâches de service alimentaire.

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