Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Feb 1;12(2):169-192.
doi: 10.3390/ejihpe12020014.

Tailoring Can Improve Consumers' Hygienic Food-Handling Behavior to Reduce the Transmission Risk of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria through Food

Claudia Freivogel  1 , Sarah H Lehmann  1 , Vivianne H M Visschers  1
Affiliations

Tailoring Can Improve Consumers' Hygienic Food-Handling Behavior to Reduce the Transmission Risk of Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria through Food

Claudia Freivogel et al. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. .

Abstract

Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria spread via food to humans and can seriously impair infection treatment. Hygienic food handling is an effective measure to avoid the transmission of bacteria. Therefore, we tested three types of interventions (tailored, generic, and no intervention) for their effectiveness in improving consumers' hygienic food handling against the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria through foods in a longitudinal randomized control trial. We based the determinants of hygienic food-handling behavior on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA). The tailored intervention raised self-reported hygienic food handling, self-efficacy, and perceived likelihood of risk compared to no intervention. Moreover, interventions yielded different effects for participants with high vs. low intentions to improve their food-handling behavior. However, there were no differences between the tailored and generic interventions. More research is needed to find out whether including other behavior change techniques in the tailored intervention may increase the effect of tailoring.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; consumers; food-handling measures; hygienic behavior; randomized control trial; tailored intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of participants per condition and measurement, including dropouts and reasons.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Intention among intenders and nonintenders in tailored, control, and generic conditions over time. GC denotes generic condition; TC: tailored condition; and CC: control condition.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Increase in hygienic food-handling behavior among intenders and nonintenders in tailored, control, and generic conditions over time. GC denotes generic condition; TC: tailored condition; and CC: control condition.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Difference in knowledge about antimicrobial resistance in food between conditions and at T1 and T4. TI denotes tailored intervention; GI: generic intervention; and CC: control condition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. FSVO Richtig Zubereiten-Sicher Geniessen (Cook Properly-Enjoy Safely) [(accessed on 23 February 2019)]. Available online: https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home/lebensmittel-und-ernaehrung/lebensm....
    1. Regea G. Review on antibiotics resistance and its economic impacts. J. Pharmacol. Clin. Res. 2018;5:555675. doi: 10.19080/JPCR.2018.05.555675. - DOI
    1. Gajdács M., Urbán E., Stájer A., Baráth Z. Antimicrobial resistance in the context of the sustainable development goals: A brief review. Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2021;11:71–82. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe11010006. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lechner I., Freivogel C., Stärk K.D., Visschers V.H. Exposure pathways to antimicrobial resistance at the human-animal interface—A qualitative comparison of Swiss expert and consumer opinions. Front. Public Health. 2020;8:345. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00345. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Evans E.W., Redmond E.C. Behavioral observation and microbiological analysis of older adult consumers’ cross-contamination practices in a model domestic kitchen. J. Food Prot. 2018;81:569–581. doi: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-17-378. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources