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Changes in lifestyle and food habits have been implicated in the increasing rate of nutrition related chronic diseases in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify sociodemographic characteristic and nutritional status of individuals by their readiness to reduce dietary fat intake. A total of 202 non-academic staff aged 18-56 years at Universiti Putra Malaysia participated in the study. Information on demographic, socioeconomic and stages of change related to dietary fat reduction were collected using a pre-tested interviewadministered questionnaire. Subjects were measured for weight, height and waist circumference. Fasting blood through venipuncture was obtained for triglycerides, LDL-, HDL-and total cholesterol. Energy and dietary fat intake were estimated based on two days 24 h diet recall. Chi-square test and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) were used for data analysis. Of the respondents, about 12% reported reduced fat intake, 20% were not committed to change and more than half (68%) were in preparation stage. There was no significant association between stages of change and socio-demographic factors. Body mass index was highest in preparation group (Mean±SE = 24.93±0.35 kg/m2) [F = 5.686; p<0.01]. Men in action/maintenance group (Mean±SE = 76.22±4.17 cm) had significantly lower adjusted mean waist circumference than those in preparation group (Mean±SE = 89.77±1.85 cm) [F = 5.324, p<0.01]. No significant difference across stages was observed in waist circumference for women, lipid profile, caloric and fat intake. It is important to identify characteristics of individuals by their readiness to change dietary behaviors so that effective nutrition strategies can be developed and implemented to meet their dietary needs and goals.

Older adults are at greater risk for foodborne illness due to age and weakened immune function. Despite higher susceptibility to foodborne illness, older adults have low knowledge of food safety risk. It is essential to identify unsafe food handling behaviors among older adults so that interventions can be developed to decrease the likelihood of foodborne illness. Targeted, needs‐driven education materials and programs are the best methods to increase risk awareness among older adults and to provide the necessary prevention steps. The study purpose was to assess food handling behaviors that are increasing community‐residing older adults’ risk for foodborne illness. A convenience sample of 720 older adults from 67 congregate meal sites in a Midwest state completed a 10‐item food safety knowledge questionnaire that asked about the frequency of performing food safety behaviors. Participants were primarily widowed (54.3%), white (95.9%), females (75.4%), with a mean age of 78.6 years, who had a high school education (46.6%), and reported being in “average” health (31.9%). Review of descriptive statistics identified safety practices; chi‐square tests evaluated the associations between frequency of food safety practices, age, and gender. The majority of participants reported regularly practicing these specific safe food handling practices: refrigerating cold food immediately (97.6%), washing cutting boards after contact with meats (93.6%), discarding suspicious leftovers (93.6%), keeping sponges and towels clean (92.3%), and washing hands before food prep (91.4%). Conversely, a number of safety behaviors were not observed including: (1) thaw meat in refrigerator (50.0%), (2) pick up refrigerated/ frozen food just before checking out (38.5%), (3) check “sell‐by” and “use by” dates on packages (35.8%), or (4) use separate cutting boards for meat (21.0%). Age category was associated with picking up refrigerated / frozen food just before checking out (χ2[3] = 8.45, p = .038) and refrigerating leftovers immediately (χ2 [3] = 8.18, p = .043); participants aged 71–80 years reported a higher frequency of responding “no” than other age groups. Gender was associated with washing cutting boards after contact with meat (χ2 [1] = 12.25, p < .001) and keeping towels and sponges clean (χ2 [1] = 9.86, p = .002); a higher percentage of males reported “no” to these behaviors. Future food safety education for older adults should target these aforementioned food safety practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Specific education should be targeted to older adults age 71–80 related to refrigeration safety and to older males regarding cleaning of food prep materials.Support or Funding InformationFunded by USDA's SNAP, an equal opportunity provider and employer, in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health

We identified gaps in safe food handling practices that may be placing older adults at increased risk of food-borne illness. A convenience sample of 1,019 older adults completed the Food Safety Behavior Questionnaire. Majority groups among participants were those who were female, those who were White, and those who were widowed. Participants had lower adherences to safe practices related to temperature control, attention to sell-by/use-by dates on food packages, and cross-contamination. Adherences were significantly (p < .05) influenced by gender, race/ethnicity, age, marital status, and education. Our findings suggest the need for older adult–focused safe food handling education related to temperature control, product selection practices, and cross-contamination.

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