Wearable Technology Effects on Training Outcomes of Restaurant Food Handlers

Abstract

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.

An Integrative Review of Hygiene Practice Studies in the Food Service Sector

“…According to this comparative study, motivation intervention for hand washing was conducted through feedback for participants' performance, with monetary reinforcement (coffee shop gift card) and goal setting at the meeting time during the posttraining period (70). In the results, hand washing performance did not show an improvement from knowledge-based training, whereas it (17). Thus, the video recorded the hand washing process from the point of view of the demonstrator, who wore the camera on their head.…”

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“…In Brazil, however, the training of food handlers is only mandatory for matters related to food safety, where the objective is to guarantee the hygienic and sanitary conditions of the prepared food [17]. National [21,[31][32][33][34][35] and international studies [36,37], pointed out the effectiveness of training related to good manufacturing practices for food handlers. In this sense, it could be suggested that the training on the careful preparation of food for celiacs can positively affect the professional practice of food handlers.…”

Trends of Augmented Reality for Agri-Food Applications

“…When processes are augmented and thereby clarified through the use of AR devices, trainees and learners are more motivated [ 45 ], resulting in reduced worker hours and costs [ 46 ]. As reported by Clark et al [ 47 ], the use of AR HMDs brings innovation and effectiveness to food safety training in the food industry. One such application was developed by Albayrak et al [ 48 ], who used AR HMDs to effectively train restaurant workers using gamification and personalization.…”