Discovery and Development of Educational Strategies To Encourage Safe Food Handling Behaviors in Cancer Patients

• Published in: Journal of food protection 2008-08, Vol.71 (8), p.1666-1672
• Main Authors: Medeiros, L.C, Chen, G, Hillers, V.N, Kendall, P.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; consumer education; Consumer Product Safety; Disease Susceptibility; educational materials; Female; Focus Groups; Food Contamination - prevention & control; food handling; Food Handling - methods; Food industries; Food microbiology; food safety education; Foodborne Diseases - prevention & control; foodborne illness; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Handling, storage, packaging, transport; home food preparation; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; neoplasms; Neoplasms - immunology; patient education; Patient Education as Topic; patients; Risk Factors; risk reduction
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X-71.8.1666

Foodborne infections pose a threat to cancer patients who are immunocompromised because of disease or medical therapy. Comprehensive food safety education can raise cancer patients' awareness of risk for foodborne infections and encourage risk-reducing behavior. The objectives of this study were to assess food safety informational needs of cancer patients and to determine factors that may influence prospective educational interventions that foster risk-reducing behaviors. Focus groups with cancer patients were formed, and interviews with health professionals working with cancer patients were conducted. Findings were used to develop three educational resource prototypes for cancer patients. Information from two additional focus groups and interviews with cancer patients was used to evaluate the prototypes before revision and finalization. There was a general awareness among focus group participants that chemotherapy increased their susceptibility to foodborne illness and infections. Participants had a basic knowledge of safe food handling practices but did not necessarily link their awareness of increased susceptibility for infection with their routine food handling practices. When informed of specific high-risk foods, there was skepticism about compliance due to disbelief of the risk, personal preferences for the high-risk food, and lack of information about how to use the recommendation. Most of the health care providers agreed that food safety information should be provided by dietitians, physicians, and nurses, but physicians stated they had little time to do so. Cancer patients expressed positive attitudes toward the educational resource prototypes and willingness to follow the food safety recommendations provided.