An Assessment of Sociodemographic Factors, Attitude, Knowledge, and Practices of the Elderly’s Caregivers with Respect to Elderly Food Safety

In the past decades, outbreaks of food poisoning have been a significant concern in Hong Kong. Under the stressful workplace culture, people nowadays overlook the importance of food safety and food handling practices. Elderly people are at a higher risk of foodborne illness among the infected groups due to weakened immunity. It is important for the elderly's caregivers to be equipped with good food safety knowledge and food handling practices in order to ensure the food safety of the elderly. An online questionnaire was distributed in Hong Kong using online platforms with the aim of investigating the sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes, knowledge, and handling practices with respect to elderly food safety among 390 participants who are the elderly's caregivers. These factors represent different backgrounds of the elderly's caregivers, and the questionnaire provides evidence to support how food safety knowledge and attitudes of elderly's caregivers associate with elderly food safety. By investigating them, it helps the public understand the significance of preventing food poisoning outbreaks. Thus, the public health of the elderly can be improved. It was observed that the elderly's caregivers with a higher level of education had better knowledge of food safety in elderly care and better food handling practices. Their attitudes had a strong positive correlation with their knowledge and handling practices towards food safety. This study emphasized that food safety knowledge and practices of the elderly's caregivers in Hong Kong should be improved effectively by enforcing stricter regulations on elderly food safety protocols, raising public awareness on elderly food safety and implementing tailored educational programmes according to the background of the elderly's caregivers.