- Table 1 Prevalence of foodborne pathogens among adults aged ≥65 years in Scotland and from global studies
- Table 2 Determinants of food safety risks, behaviours and vulnerabilities
- Table 3 Physical environment determinants upon food shopping, storage, cooking and eating practices among adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 4 Biological determinants upon food shopping, storage, cooking and eating practices among adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 5 Social determinants upon food shopping, storage, cooking and eating practices among adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 6 Psychological determinants upon food shopping, storage, cooking and eating practices among adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 7 Impact of economic determinants upon food shopping, purchase decisions, food storage and eating practices among adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 8 Impact of economic determinants upon food shopping, storage, cooking and eating practices among adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 9 Perceived susceptibility to foodborne illness among family-caregivers and adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 10 Perceived severity of foodborne illness among family-caregivers and adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 11 Perceived benefits of food safety practices among family caregivers and adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 12 Perceived barriers to food safety practices among family caregivers and adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 13 Perceived self-efficacy of implementing food safety practices among family-caregivers and adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 14 Motivations of individuals aged ≥ 65 years in Scotland to implement recommended food safety practices
- Table 15 Cues to action that have resulted in adopting food safety behaviours among family-caregivers and adults over 65 in Scotland
- Table 16 Impact of being responsible for food provision of relatives upon family caregivers
- Table 17 Considerations for future Food Standards Scotland food safety messaging.
4. Purpose of the SEFARI fellowship with Food Standards Scotland
The literature discussed in section 3 demonstrates that older adults (aged 65 and above) represent a growing and vulnerable demographic regarding foodborne illnesses. Age-related immune decline (senescence), coupled with multimorbidity and chronic conditions, significantly increases their susceptibility to pathogens like L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, and norovirus. Global and Scottish prevalence data show that older adults not only experience higher infection rates for some pathogens but also face more severe outcomes, including higher rates of hospitalisation and mortality. Medications and health conditions common in this age group further exacerbate these risks.
Research also highlights gaps in food safety practices among older adults, influenced by cognitive and behavioural factors. Addressing these gaps requires targeted interventions. For such initiatives to succeed, they must address the underlying perceptions and modifying factors that influence food safety behaviours. This SEFARI fellowship project aims to address this gap by obtaining insights from the consumer group and make recommendations for Food Standards Scotland on communicating risk of foodborne illnesses to this vulnerable population.
Therefore, the overarching aims and objectives of this fellowship are outlined below.
4.1 Aims
- Identify lifestyle factors which cause members of the older population to become ill with foodborne illness.
- Provide recommendations for Food Standards Scotland to enhance their consumer advice and communications strategies.
4.2 Objectives
- Create and refine a research framework to inform the development of data collection tools and data coding approaches.
- Obtain appropriate ethical approvals from institutional and governmental bodies before recruitment and data collection.
- Establish a participant inclusion criterion and implement a recruitment strategy for the recruitment of eligible participants to engage in the project via online, in-person or telephone methods.
- Conduct qualitative research through online and in-person focus groups and transcribe the audio files.
- Analyse focus group transcripts utilising a predefined structured codebook to identify key factors influencing food safety behaviour, vulnerabilities, and communication preferences.
- Formulate evidence-based recommendations for future food safety interventions and effective communication strategies for Food Standards Scotland.