Multidisciplinary Food and Health Laboratory, School of Applied Sciences, State University of Campinas, Limeira, Brazil.
Biosciences Department, Federal University of São Paulo, Santos, Brazil.
Food Res Int. 2019 Nov;125:108637. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108637. Epub 2019 Aug 23.
Every year, studies about food handlers' food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices are published. Some results of these papers have been rather controversial, especially those related to food safety practices. The two most common methods for evaluating food safety practices - self-assessment and observation - are generally treated as interchangeable, but they can have different meanings. The objective of this study was, therefore, to differentiate between the observed and self-reported food safety practices of food handlers, verifying the effect of different variables in these food safety indicators through structural equation modeling, and examining the relationship between cognitive factors and these practices. A questionnaire with 37 questions was given to 183 food handlers to evaluate their food safety knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practices, and risk perceptions. For the observed assessment method of evaluating the food handlers' practices (observed practices), a checklist was developed, and food handlers were observed during one workday. Two models were developed based on the results of these two assessment methods. In the first model a significant positive effect of knowledge and a negative effect of risk perception on self-reported practices were observed. Food handlers with high risk-perception about their practices reported less adequate practices. Positive food safety attitudes acted as a moderator dampening the positive effect between knowledge and self-reported practices. In the second model a significant positive effect of knowledge on observed practices. Attitudes strengthened the positive effect between knowledge and observed practices. On the other hand, a direct effect of attitude on observed practices was not observed. In conclusion, self-reported practices and observed practices are different and should be used and discussed properly.
每年都有关于食品从业人员食品安全知识、态度和实践的研究发表。其中一些研究结果颇具争议，尤其是与食品安全实践相关的结果。评估食品安全实践的两种最常见方法——自我评估和观察——通常被视为可互换的，但它们可能具有不同的含义。因此，本研究的目的是区分食品从业人员观察到的和自我报告的食品安全实践，通过结构方程建模验证不同变量对这些食品安全指标的影响，并检验认知因素与这些实践之间的关系。我们向 183 名食品从业人员发放了一份包含 37 个问题的问卷，以评估他们的食品安全知识、态度、自我报告的实践和风险感知。对于评估食品从业人员实践的观察评估方法（观察实践），我们制定了一份检查表，并在一个工作日内对食品从业人员进行观察。根据这两种评估方法的结果，我们制定了两个模型。在第一个模型中，我们观察到知识对自我报告实践有显著的正向影响，风险感知对自我报告实践有负向影响。对自己实践风险感知较高的食品从业人员报告的实践操作不够充分。积极的食品安全态度起到了调节作用，减弱了知识与自我报告实践之间的正向关系。在第二个模型中，我们观察到知识对观察实践有显著的正向影响。态度增强了知识与观察实践之间的正向关系。另一方面，态度对观察实践的直接影响并未观察到。总之，自我报告的实践和观察的实践是不同的，应该正确地使用和讨论。
