Purpose: To examine self-perceptions of vulnerability to FBDs in the domestic environment of PLWH in Beijing.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using face-to-face interviewers was conducted in 2015 with 200 PLWH recruited through convenience sampling from a Beijing hospital. A structured questionnaire asked participants about their food/drink storage, cooking, and consumption practices at home. Self-perceptions of both their own and other PLWH’s risk for domestic FBDs were measured using a Likert scale from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely). A self-perceived relative risk score for each participant was obtained by subtracting scores for perceptions of “others’-risk” from “own-risk.” Risky domestic food behavior was measured using a 5-item Likert scale, which included 22 behavior questions.
Results: When asked about their likelihood of contracting a FBD in their home: 88 (44%) responded not at all likely, 104 (52%) slightly likely, and 8 (4%) moderately likely. Scores measuring the participants’ domestic food behaviors revealed that both those responding “no-risk” (2.59±0.43) and those responding “moderate/slight-risk” (2.50±0.42) engaged in unsafe food practices, but with no statistically significant differences in food behavior between the two (t=1.482, P=0.14).Relative risk scores indicated that nearly all participants (98%) perceived themselves to be equally (53.5%) or less (44.5%) vulnerable to domestic FBDs than other PLWH.
Significance: These data revealed that many PLWH in Beijing, China, perceived themselves as no or low risk for FBDs and at lower risk than other PLWH. To be successful, interventions to improve domestic food safety in China must first help PLWH to perceive and understand their personal risk for acquiring a FBD.