Food safety perceptions and practices of older adults

Older adults are considered more vulnerable to foodborne illness due to lowered immune function. We compared the food safety perceptions and practices of older and younger adults and determined associations with demographic characteristics.

We focused on 1,317 participants > or = 60 years of age from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2006 Food Safety Survey, a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of American consumers. We used data on participants < 60 years of age to compare younger and older adults, and used Pearson's Chi-square tests to determine whether perceptions and practices differed by age, gender, level of education, living arrangement, and race/ethnicity. We conducted multiple logistic regression analysis to assess relationship of demographic characteristics and food safety perceptions with food safety practices of older adults.

We found that adults > or = 60 years of age were more likely to follow recommended food safety practices than those < 60 years of age. Sixty-six percent of adults > or = 60 years of age reported eating potentially hazardous foods in the past year compared with 81% of adults < 60 years of age. Among people > or = 60 years of age, women, those with less education, and nonwhite individuals generally had better food safety practices and a greater awareness of food safety risk.

These findings suggest that certain subsets of the older adult population are less likely to follow recommended food safety practices and, thus, are at greater risk of foodborne illness. Food safety education for older adults should target men and those with more education and higher incomes.