Use of a Smartphone Application ("Food Safe Surveys") for Data Collection during Direct Concealed Observations

Introduction: Observing food handling practices is an important aspect of food safety research. However, unintended behavioral changes by individuals who are being observed, referred to as the Hawthorne effect (HE), can occur. Direct concealed observations (DCOs) have been used by researchers to minimize the HE during data collection of food safety behaviors in various settings. However, there are limitations to data collection of DCOs, since researchers may have to memorize observations to record later, hindering their ability to capture information instantaneously.

Purpose: To solve this dilemma, a customized smartphone application, known as “Food Safe Surveys,” was developed to record DCOs in real-time.

Methods: To evaluate public perception of smartphone usage, including activities related to DCOs, a web-based questionnaire, consisting of four different images of people using a smartphone or clipboard, superimposed on a retail setting or blank space, was developed and distributed online (n = 85) for feedback. Questions were open-ended and results were based on coded responses.

Results: Participants were 75% female and 25% male, primarily 18 to 34 years of age (69%), with an average of 32 years. Combined questionnaire responses indicated that the two images of an individual using a clipboard, with either background, suggested evaluative activities such as research, surveys, or inspections (48/192; 25%), while others stated the images revealed checklist-related (127/192; 66%) or other activities (11/192; 6%), respectively, and (6/192; 3%) did not know. Alternatively, (233/237; 98%) of the participants indicated that the two images of smartphone use, with either background, was primarily for phone or internet use.

Significance: These results suggest that the use of a smartphone in a retail setting may not be perceived as an evaluative activity by the public, and that the use of a smartphone application (ex. “Food Safe Surveys”) for data collection, may minimize the HE during DCOs.