Melissa Kavanaugh, Patricia A. Shewokis and Jennifer J. Quinlan
The purpose of this study was to create and validate a food safety survey for older adults.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to create and validate a food safety survey for older adults.
Design/methodology/approach
The 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.
Findings
Exploratory 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 implications
This 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/value
There are few validated tools that can be used with older adults to evaluate food safety risks.
Details
Keywords
I consider the following question: given my commitment to creating an inclusive classroom environment where students of all backgrounds and skill levels can feel comfortable…
Abstract
I consider the following question: given my commitment to creating an inclusive classroom environment where students of all backgrounds and skill levels can feel comfortable taking emotional and intellectual risks, how do I responsibly teach a course on American Life Writing in which students both read and write narratives of trauma, many of which stem from gender-based violence? With the rise of the #MeToo movement, especially, many survivors of this kind of violence feel compelled to share their stories as a way to heal themselves and to create communities of care and support. In some cases, this kind of disclosure can be restorative. But it is also important to recognize that sharing one's narrative of trauma does not always serve as a path to healing and wholeness. There is also power in choosing to tell part of one's story, sharing one's story only with a certain audience, or not disclosing one's story at all. The works that I assign in the seminar highlight these different paths to healing and model for students the ways in which a confessional model is not the only model for dealing with trauma. In this chapter, I first describe how feminist pedagogy shapes my teaching. Then I outline my approach to teaching life writing, focusing on how I teach texts that highlight trauma and how I teach the personal narrative assignment. Finally, I reflect on how these pedagogical practices might inform our larger conversations about gendered oppression, trauma, and healing.