Namkung Young, Almanza Barbara A
Purdue University, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2059, USA.
J Environ Health. 2006 Oct;69(3):10-5; quiz 25-6.
Despite a growing concern over food safety issues, as well as a growing dependence on the Internet as a source of information, little research has been done to examine the presence and relevance of food safety-related information on Web sites. The study reported here conducted Web site analysis in order to examine the current operational status of governmental Web sites on food safety issues. The study also evaluated Web site usability, especially information dimensionalities such as utility, currency, and relevance of content, from the perspective of the English-speaking consumer. Results showed that out of 192 World Health Organization members, 111 countries operated governmental Web sites that provide information about food safety issues. Among 171 searchable Web sites from the 111 countries, 123 Web sites (71.9 percent) were accessible, and 81 of those 123 (65.9 percent) were available in English. The majority of Web sites offered search engine tools and related links for more information, but their availability and utility was limited. In terms of content, 69.9 percent of Web sites offered information on foodborne-disease outbreaks, compared with 31.5 percent that had travel- and health-related information.
尽管人们对食品安全问题的关注度日益提高，且越来越依赖互联网作为信息来源，但针对网站上食品安全相关信息的存在情况及相关性的研究却很少。本文所报告的研究进行了网站分析，以审视政府网站在食品安全问题上的当前运营状况。该研究还从英语消费者的角度评估了网站的可用性，特别是信息维度，如内容的实用性、时效性和相关性。结果显示，在世界卫生组织的192个成员国中，有111个国家运营着提供食品安全问题信息的政府网站。在这111个国家的171个可搜索网站中，123个网站（71.9%）可访问，其中123个中的81个（65.9%）提供英文信息。大多数网站提供搜索引擎工具和相关链接以获取更多信息，但其可用性和实用性有限。在内容方面，69.9%的网站提供食源性疾病爆发的信息，相比之下，有31.5%的网站提供与旅行和健康相关的信息。
