$600,000 grant targets older adults, food safety
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
Researchers in the College of Human Ecology have been awarded a $599,000 grant to develop educational programs in food safety targeting vulnerable older adults.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture will fund the 3-year grant through the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.
Adults ages 65 and older are at increased risk for foodborne illness and more likely to die from complications, said Kevin Roberts, assistant professor in Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management and Dietetics and one of the principal investigators on the grant.
One of every 500 deaths and one of every 100 hospitalizations are attributed to foodborne illness in the U.S., according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Valentina Remig, assistant professor in Human Nutrition and principal investigator, listed several reasons susceptibility increases with age: weakening immune systems, the growing number of older adults living longer independently and preparing their own food, unsafe food handling, and declining health.
The main causes of foodborne illnesses remain constant, Roberts said. They are cross contamination, time/temperature abuse and poor personal hygiene. “Research has told us that older adults are reluctant to throw questionable food away, are unclear about dates on food labels and are not familiar with cooking temperatures that could insure food safety,” he added.
Other principal investigators are Toni Bryant, extension associate in food and nutrition, and Gerry Snyder, multi-media specialist in extension.
The research team will develop and test a multimedia food safety training program that will consider older adults’ preferences for learning, based on their familiarity with technology and their needs. Statewide Research and Extension personnel will work with development, testing and disseminating the program in English and in Spanish, Remig said.
“We hope the model we develop will serve the rest of the nation,” she added.
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 and is filed under Dean's Blog.