Perceptions of risks of eating undercooked meat and willingness to change cooking practices

Knowledge and awareness of food safety issues relating to improperly cooked hamburger and willingness to change hamburger cooking practices were examined from a representative sample of 1004 adult Texans. Awareness of the danger of improperly cooked hamburger, knowledge of specific foodborne pathogens and knowledge of food safety practices had no effect on willingness to change behavior, but respondents who were better-educated, female and Hispanic and respondents who used newspapers/magazines or televisions were all more likely to report willingness to change their cooking practices.