Development and validation of a food safety survey for older adults

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to create and validate a food safety survey for older adults.Design/methodology/approachThe survey was designed to measure food handling and consumption behaviors related to high-risk foods. Survey questions were also designed to capture behavioral constructs from the health belief model (HBM). The first administration of the survey was completed by 349 participants, 55 years of age and older. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess construct validity, and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the subscales generated through factor analysis. Two weeks after the first administration, the survey was completed a second time by 149 participants from the original sample. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to evaluate test-retest reliability.FindingsExploratory factor analysis yielded four factors related to the HBM (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers and cues to action) and three factors related to food handling practices (handling of processed meats, food thermometer use with poultry and washing or rinsing poultry). Inclusion in a factor meant that the related questions measured the same underlying construct. Cronbach’s alpha for these factors ranged from 0.63 to 0.77. Modification of the survey following validation resulted in the development of a 44-question instrument that can be used with older adults.Practical implicationsThis survey will next be administered to a representative sample of older adults to assess relationships between HBM constructs and food handling behaviors and is available for use by other researchers.Originality/valueThere are few validated tools that can be used with older adults to evaluate food safety risks.