Focus Group Studies on Food Safety Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices of School-going Adolescent Girls in South India

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 340 - 346
• Main Authors: Gavaravarapu, Subba Rao M., MA, Vemula, Sudershan R., PhD, Rao, Pratima, PhD, Mendu, Vishnu Vardhana Rao, PhD, Polasa, Kalpagam, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-09-2009; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; adolescent girls; adolescent nutrition; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Adolescents; Attitude Measures; attitudes and opinions; brand name products; Child; Consumer Product Safety; Female; Females; focus group discussions; Focus Groups; Food - standards; food beliefs; Food Handling - methods; Food Handling - standards; food labeling; Food Labeling - standards; Food Packaging - standards; Food safety; foodborne illness; Foreign Countries; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Girls; Health Behavior; health beliefs; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; India; Internal Medicine; knowledge; Knowledge Level; Nutrition; nutrition knowledge; Perceptions; perceptions and practices; Safety; Safety Education; schools; Single group studies; Students - psychology; Teenagers; Young Adult; India; food safety; focus group discussions; adolescent girls; perceptions and practices; knowledge
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1708-8259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2008.12.003

Abstract Objective To understand food safety knowledge, perceptions, and practices of adolescent girls. Design Focus group discussions (FGDs) with 32 groups selected using stratified random sampling. Setting Four South Indian states. Participants Adolescent girls (10-19 years). Phenomena of Interest Food safety knowledge, perceptions, and practices. Analyses FGDs were audio recorded, transcribed, and manually coded by topic. At each stage of coding and analysis, reports were read independently by 3 researchers. Results were presented according to 4 food safety topics: concept of safe food; home-cooked food or outside food; packaged food products and food labels; and previous exposure to food safety education. Results Subjects confused the concept of nutrition with food safety. They were checking food labels, but they were not aware of quality symbols like ISI (Bureau of Indian Standards), FPO (Fruit Products Order), and AGMARK (Agriculture Marking and Grading Act); trusted more in brand names/expensive packaged food; were less careful about snack food safety. Receiving food safety information through school health education was preferred. Conclusions and Implications Adolescent girls are not aware of food quality standards. Awareness needs to be raised on permitted food additives concerning which foods can use them. Children should be familiarized with quality symbols on food labels.