Young People’s Views on Food Hygiene and Food Safety: A Multicentre Qualitative Study

Abstract

Foodborne diseases are a global burden, are preventable, and young people are a key population for behaviour change as they gain autonomy. This study aimed to explore young people’s needs across several European countries in relation to learning about and implementing food hygiene and food safety. Qualitative focus groups and interviews were conducted in rural and city regions across England, France, Hungary and Portugal. Data were collected to attain data saturation, transcribed, thematically analysed, and mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework. Twenty-five out of 84 schools approached (29.8%) participated, with data collected from 156 11–18-year-old students. Students had good knowledge of personal hygiene but did not always follow hygiene rules due to forgetfulness, lack of facilities or lack of concern for consequences. Students had limited understanding of foodborne microbes, underestimated the risks and consequences of foodborne illness and perceived the “home” environment as the safest. Young people preferred interactive educational methods. Addressing gaps in young people’s food safety knowledge is essential to improve their lack of concern towards foodborne illness and motivate them to follow food hygiene and safety behaviours consistently. Findings have been used to develop educational resources to address gaps in knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.

Evidence-based health interventions for the educational sector: Application and lessons learned from developing European food hygiene and safety teaching resources

“…This project used an adapted version of a user-centred approach, underpinned by behavioural science, to develop a suite of educational materials on food hygiene for school students aged 11-18 years old, and accompanying training resources for educators. Key information gathered during the insight phase aligned to the TDF (Syeda et al, 2021) was used to suggest learning objectives listed in national curricula and then used to inform activities and lesson plans. Activities were designed to account for differences across the collaborating countries, making them suitable for settings with varying access to kitchens or hygiene facilities and range of abilities and teaching styles.…”

“…The MCT researchers based in England, France, Hungary and Portugal conducted two needs assessments underpinned by the TDF. The first explored school educators' attitudes, behaviours and knowledge towards food hygiene, safety and education and needs for training and resources (Eley et al, 2021); the second explored young people's needs in relation to learning about and implementing food hygiene and food safety behaviours (Syeda et al, 2021).…”

“…The MCT conducted analyses of the National Curriculum implemented in their countries. Data relating to the teaching of food hygiene and safety were collected from government websites, Ministries of Education, educators and other education professionals (Syeda et al, 2021).…”

“…This paper shared an approach and considerations to design educational health resources that are applicable across multiple contexts through a rigorous multi-centre process, including, iterative cycles of consultation with end-users, behaviouralists, researchers and an MCT to ensure relevant cultural factors were acknowledged at every stage. While the piloting phases of the educational lesson plans gathered feedback from only a small number of students and educators based in the UK, the needs assessment, which informed the lesson plans, assessed the needs, barriers and resource suggestions in a large sample of students and educators from multiple European countries (Eley et al, 2021;Syeda et al, 2021).…”

“…Methods: Development used a two-step process referred to as: the insight phase; and prototyping and refinement phase. This included using the findings of a needs assessment with students and educators based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) presented in earlier publications (Eley et al, 2021;Syeda et al, 2021). A usercentred approach to development was then taken, employing an iterative process of idea generation, consultation with a multidisciplinary steering group, and user testing.…”