Kosa Katherine M, Cates Sheryl C, Karns Shawn, Godwin Sandria L, Chambers Delores
RTI International, 3040 Cornwallis Road, PO Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA.
J Food Prot. 2007 Jul;70(7):1640-9. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-70.7.1640.
To reduce bacterial growth and to ensure the quality and safety of food products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advise consumers to clean their refrigerators regularly, use a refrigerator thermometer, and keep refrigerator temperatures at 40 degrees F (4.4 degrees C) or below. We conducted a nationally representative Web-enabled survey (n = 2,060) to collect data on refrigerator thermometer ownership, home refrigerator temperatures, and the frequency of home refrigerator cleaning. We stratified the sample to provide results for pregnant women, older adults (60 years or older), and the remaining population. About half of all respondents had cleaned their refrigerators at least 1 month before the survey. Only 11% of all respondents had a thermometer in their refrigerator before the survey. Older adults (77.5%) were more likely than the remaining population (70.4%) to have their refrigerators at the recommended temperature (P < 0.01). Older adults who were not married and who lived alone were less likely to have refrigerator thermometers and to have their refrigerators at a recommended temperature (P < 0.05). For all respondents, those who had previously owned a refrigerator thermometer were more likely to have their refrigerators at the recommended temperature than were respondents who did not previously own a thermometer (P < 0.01). Food safety educators can use the survey findings and results of previous research to target educational materials and help consumers, especially those at risk for listeriosis, to safely store refrigerated foods at home.
为减少细菌滋生并确保食品质量与安全，美国农业部和美国食品药品监督管理局建议消费者定期清洁冰箱、使用冰箱温度计，并将冰箱温度保持在40华氏度（4.4摄氏度）或更低。我们开展了一项具有全国代表性的网络调查（n = 2,060），以收集有关冰箱温度计拥有情况、家用冰箱温度以及家用冰箱清洁频率的数据。我们对样本进行分层，以提供孕妇、老年人（60岁及以上）和其余人群的调查结果。在所有受访者中，约有一半在调查前至少1个月清洁过冰箱。在调查前，所有受访者中只有11%的人冰箱里有温度计。老年人（77.5%）比其余人群（70.4%）更有可能将冰箱温度保持在推荐温度（P < 0.01）。未婚且独居的老年人拥有冰箱温度计以及将冰箱温度保持在推荐温度的可能性较小（P < 0.05）。对于所有受访者而言，之前拥有冰箱温度计的人比之前没有温度计的受访者更有可能将冰箱温度保持在推荐温度（P < 0.01）。食品安全教育工作者可以利用此次调查结果和先前的研究成果，针对性地提供教育材料，帮助消费者，尤其是那些有感染李斯特菌风险的人群，在家中安全储存冷藏食品。
