Development of Food Safety and Nutrition Education Contents for the Elderly - by Focus Group Interview and Delphi Technique

Our society is aging rapidly, and the number of elderly people who are in charge of purchasing and preparing foods at home is increasing. However, most the elderly have difficulty managing nutrition and food safety by themselves. The purpose of this study was to develop the necessary knowledge, through focus group interview and Delphi technique to establish a food safety and nutrition education program. The diet and educational needs of the elderly were surveyed through FGI. The education topics were decided by the Delphi technique. The education program consisted of a five week program, and the topics taught were ‘Dietary Change for Healthy Life’, ‘Prevention of Food Poisoning in Everyday Life’, ‘Safe Food Handling for my Health’, ‘Healthy Dietary Life to Prevent Chronic Disease’, and ‘Safety! Nutrition! Healthy Dietary Life’. This education program was designed to decrease the perceived barriers, and to increase the perceived interests and the sense of self-efficacy. Education program materials, lesson plans, slides, handouts, videos, leaflets, and booklets were developed. Based on the results, the contents of the food safety guideline leaflets for the elderly were decided as the following: (1) wash your hands in the correct way; (2) select safe food; (3) cook foods safely; (4) keep foods safely; (5) keep kitchen utensils clean. In conclusion, if advanced education programs are implemented and delivered continuously in locations such as health centers and community welfare centers, those will contribute significantly to enhance the perception of food safety and to change the desirable dietary behavior of the elderly. (Korean J Community Nutr 17(2) : 167~181, 2012)