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V. N. HILLERS, Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Washington State Univ., PO Box 646376, Pullman, WA 99164-6376 Undercooking of meats is an important contributing factor to foodborne infections. Research has shown that consumers cannot judge whether ground beef and other small pieces of meat are adequately cooked. Although use of food thermometers to check end-point temperatures of small cuts of meat is recommended, the practice is rarely adopted. We utilized the Transtheoretical Model (also known as Stages of Changes theory) to develop an understanding of barriers and motivators related to food thermometer use, develop educational materials to address these factors, and conduct an intervention program to determine how individuals at different Stages of Change respond to educational materials about thermometer use for small cuts of meat. A Stages of Change questionnaire to profile consumer attitudes and behaviors regarding food thermometer use was developed and tested for reliability and validity. In a survey of the general population conducted prior to the intervention, almost all respondents were in "Precontemplation," indicating that they have never thought about using a food thermometer with small cuts of meat. Only 4% actually used a food thermometer (Action and Maintenance stages). We developed a video, recipe cards, and a brochure addressing motivators and barriers to food thermometer use. The materials were mailed to each person who returned the pre-intervention survey (n=793). Six weeks later, respondents received a post-intervention questionnaire to assess changes in thermometer use. Return rate was 37% (n=295). The stage-appropriate intervention program increased the use of a food thermometer among respondents to 34%. Additionally, there was a decrease in barriers related to thermometer use and increased confidence that a food thermometer would be used in a variety of situations. Funding was provided by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension under Agreement No. 2001-51110-11464.
Session 24, Are you making a difference: Evaluating the impact of education programs
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |