Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.

Foodborne illnesses represent a pressing public health issue, with Brazilian households accounting for over a third of reported outbreaks in the country. This study aimed to investigate food handling practices in Brazilian homes, evaluating their influence on the self-reported occurrence of foodborn...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gustavo Guimarães Fernandes Viana, Andréia Gonçalves Arruda, Gabriel Augusto Marques Rossi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325070
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849329495433019392
author Gustavo Guimarães Fernandes Viana
Andréia Gonçalves Arruda
Gabriel Augusto Marques Rossi
author_facet Gustavo Guimarães Fernandes Viana
Andréia Gonçalves Arruda
Gabriel Augusto Marques Rossi
author_sort Gustavo Guimarães Fernandes Viana
collection DOAJ
description Foodborne illnesses represent a pressing public health issue, with Brazilian households accounting for over a third of reported outbreaks in the country. This study aimed to investigate food handling practices in Brazilian homes, evaluating their influence on the self-reported occurrence of foodborne illnesses. A total of 1,043 respondents participated in the study. Data was collected through an online questionnaire that captured their demographic data, feeding hygiene behaviors, food storage and preparation habits. Cluster analysis identified four groups based on adherence to food safety practices. Key findings revealed significant deficiencies: only 3.07% utilize thermometer to check meat doneness, which prevents the ingestion of viable pathogens, 64.90% of participants use the same cutting board for raw meat and vegetables and only 32.70% reported washing packages before storing them in the refrigerator. Risk factor analysis highlighted that older adults and males reported fewer foodborne illness, while cluster that adhered less to proper food manipulation exhibited higher illness rates. Our findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted educational campaigns to address critical gaps, such as discouraging meat washing and promoting safe storage practices. This study underscores the importance of innovative interventions to reduce household foodborne illnesses, contributing to improved public health outcomes.
format Article
id doaj-art-4bae8beb3e23423abaea5239e46015a4
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-4bae8beb3e23423abaea5239e46015a42025-08-20T03:47:16ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01206e032507010.1371/journal.pone.0325070Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.Gustavo Guimarães Fernandes VianaAndréia Gonçalves ArrudaGabriel Augusto Marques RossiFoodborne illnesses represent a pressing public health issue, with Brazilian households accounting for over a third of reported outbreaks in the country. This study aimed to investigate food handling practices in Brazilian homes, evaluating their influence on the self-reported occurrence of foodborne illnesses. A total of 1,043 respondents participated in the study. Data was collected through an online questionnaire that captured their demographic data, feeding hygiene behaviors, food storage and preparation habits. Cluster analysis identified four groups based on adherence to food safety practices. Key findings revealed significant deficiencies: only 3.07% utilize thermometer to check meat doneness, which prevents the ingestion of viable pathogens, 64.90% of participants use the same cutting board for raw meat and vegetables and only 32.70% reported washing packages before storing them in the refrigerator. Risk factor analysis highlighted that older adults and males reported fewer foodborne illness, while cluster that adhered less to proper food manipulation exhibited higher illness rates. Our findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted educational campaigns to address critical gaps, such as discouraging meat washing and promoting safe storage practices. This study underscores the importance of innovative interventions to reduce household foodborne illnesses, contributing to improved public health outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325070
spellingShingle Gustavo Guimarães Fernandes Viana
Andréia Gonçalves Arruda
Gabriel Augusto Marques Rossi
Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.
PLoS ONE
title Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.
title_full Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.
title_fullStr Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.
title_full_unstemmed Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.
title_short Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households.
title_sort assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in brazilian households
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325070
work_keys_str_mv AT gustavoguimaraesfernandesviana assessingfoodsafetypracticesandfoodborneillnessriskfactorsinbrazilianhouseholds
AT andreiagoncalvesarruda assessingfoodsafetypracticesandfoodborneillnessriskfactorsinbrazilianhouseholds
AT gabrielaugustomarquesrossi assessingfoodsafetypracticesandfoodborneillnessriskfactorsinbrazilianhouseholds