Purpose: This study aimed to identify socio-psychological factors that drive food safety practices among middle school students.
Methods: Data were collected from 438 middle school students in Daegu, South Korea, using a self-administered questionnaire in December 2013. The questionnaire consisted of 63 items with the following categories: general information, self-efficacy, self-resilience, social support, and food safety practices. Statistical analyses to determine frequency, average, ANOVA, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and regression analysis were performed using SPSS 21.
Results: Food safety practices score was 3.67 ± 0.49/5.00 on average and differed significantly by gender (P < 0.05), grade (P < 0.001), school records (P < 0.001), and BMI (P < 0.05). Self-efficacy comprised of self-confidence, difficulty preference, and self-regulation. The results of factor analysis indicated that self-resilience was classified into challenge, self-perseverance, and positive outlook, and social support was sub-grouped into positive and negative types. Food safety practices score was significantly affected by self-confidence (P < 0.001), difficulty preference (P < 0.001), challenge (P < 0.001), self-perseverance (P < 0.001), positive future outlook (P < 0.001), and positive social support (P < 0.001). Four areas (hand washing, food purchasing and consumption, food storage, and cooking equipment cleanliness) which were subgroups of food safety practices were associated with factors such as self-confidence, difficulty preference, challenge, self-perseverance, positive future outlook, and positive social support. Only purchasing and consumption were inversely related to negative social support.
Significance: This study suggests that food safety education programs should account for socio-psychological factors such as self-efficacy, self-resilience, and social support according to gender, grade, school records, and BMI to be effective for middle school students.