Dietetics Student Perceptions of Food Safety Communication to Vulnerable Populations: An International Study

Abstract

Registered dietitians can play an important role in delivering food safety information to vulnerable population groups. Although dietetic students are reported to perceive food safety to be important for vulnerable population groups, little is known regarding their attitudes toward their role in the delivery of food safety information. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine and evaluate the perceptions of dietetic students regarding their role in food safety communication to vulnerable populations from three international institutions. A total of 208 dietetics students participated in the study from Columbus, Ohio, USA (n = 100), Cardiff, Wales, UK (n = 78), and Beirut, Lebanon (n = 30). Predominantly, the students in this study had positive attitudes toward the importance of food safety for vulnerable groups, although more students from Lebanon were skeptical that vulnerable patients were more susceptible to foodborne infections than the general populations (p < 0.001). Data indicated confidence and understanding of food safety principles and a willingness to learn more about food safety for these groups, however, some students in the UK (30%) and USA (31%) were not confident that they could effectively communicate food safety to vulnerable patients. Based on the findings in this and previous studies, adjustments are recommended to the requirements for food safety knowledge among dietetic students to include food safety counseling competency.

Keywords: Attitudes; Dietitians; Food safety; Foodborne illness; Patient education; Vulnerable patient groups.