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6 Communicating with Aging Populations
Pages 109-138

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From page 109...
... He described the results of a study aimed at understanding what motivates behavior change in older adult consumers. Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
From page 110...
... McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas, discussed health literacy in general and described key elements of effective written and oral health communication. She emphasized the importance of reinforcing key messages when communicating about food safety and nutrition.
From page 111...
... The study was based on the notion that people are taking different journeys through life, and understanding those journeys can aid in communicating more effectively and in a way that motivates behavior change. The study identified six types of journeys: • leading the Way (traditional, responsible, and proactive)
From page 112...
... : 20 per cent of study participants were identified as I need a Plan. Individu als in this "undisciplined" group of people are exceedingly pleasant, Bodhaine said, "absolutely committed to dieting until chocolate cake is served." Whereas leading the Way and Value Independence people possess extraordinary internal loci of control, I need a Plan people do not.
From page 113...
... In 2005, when the Healthy and Wellness Segmentation Study was first conducted, two-thirds of Americans were identified as overweight, and one-third as obese; statistics that persisted in 2009. This was true despite the fact that the messages to eat better, lose weight, stop smoking, etc.
From page 114...
... For example, according to 2009 Health and Wellness Segmentation Study data, 75 percent of adults age 65 and over reported having a physical within the past year, compared to 55 percent of the total study population. Also, 53 percent of adults age 65 and over agreed with the statement, "I am very focused on my long-term health and work hard to make decisions every day that will positively influence my future and health and wellness," compared to 44 percent of the total study population.
From page 115...
... " FOOD SAFETY MESSAgES: WHAT DO CONSUMERS HEAR? Presenter: Caroline Smith deWaal DeWaal began by remarking that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
From page 116...
... TABLE 6-1 Percentage of Hospitalizations Composed of Adults Aged 50 or Over Pathogen Percent of Hospitalizations 86 listeria STEC O157 53 45 Vibrio 40 Salmonella 38 yersinia 28 Shigella 25 Cryptosporidium 21 Campylobacter SOURCE: Vugia et al., 2009. TABLE 6-2 Fatality Rate of Foodborne Illness in Adults Aged 50 or Over Pathogen Percent of Fatalities 20 listeria 7 Vibrio 1.3 Salmonella 0.4 Shigella 0.4 Campylobacter SOURCE: Vugia et al., 2009.
From page 117...
... • May be less willing to throw away food. Case Examples of Communication Challenges DeWaal discussed several case examples illustrating the communication challenges of food safety recalls: • the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA)
From page 118...
... Direct-to-Consumer Notification DeWaal identified direct-to-consumer notification as a potentially good strategy for reaching older consumers with urgent food safety messages. In particular CSPI is recommending the following: • Retailers should use loyalty programs to notify consumers of Class I recalls (the most serious category of recalls, involving a potential for serious injury or death)
From page 119...
... Food Safety in Restaurants While the food industry often claims that food safety problems are the responsibility of consumers, data indicate that between 1999 and 2006, 41 percent of 5,778 outbreaks in the United States were sourced to foods prepared in restaurants or food establishments (Figure 6-1)
From page 120...
... County documented reductions in foodborne illness and emergency room visits following initiation of the letter grade system. Letter grades are really just another form of on-the-spot messaging.
From page 121...
... COMMUNICATINg WITH OLDER CONSUMERS DURINg RECALLS Presenter: William Hallman Hallman began by remarking that his research at the Food Policy Institute (FPI) at Rutgers University2 was funded by USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service through the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative and was designed to address issues related to intentional and unintentional food contamination.
From page 122...
... The Need for Better Recall Communication Hallman briefly discussed the "realities" of the food supply and food recalls. The supply and demand for agricultural products is becoming increasingly global, while food processing, distribution, and retail are becoming increasingly consolidated.
From page 123...
... Communicating with Older Adults: The Problem of Invisibility Improving communication about food recalls with older adults in particular is also important because of the invisibility of foodborne pathogens. Because such pathogens cannot be seen, consumers must rely on other cues, mostly visual and olfactory cues, to determine whether something is safe to eat.
From page 124...
... Hallman showed an image of a manufacturer's shelf label in a store indicating that their brand of peanut butter was "not part of the peanut recall." Hallman emphasized the importance of providing consumers with a means to easily identify affected and unaffected products. This should include providing specific information, such as lot numbers and product dates that will help consumers clearly differentiate between safe and potentially unsafe products.
From page 125...
... Hallman noted that the last result highlights the fact that people are subject to social desirability biases and will "tell you what they think you want to hear." The social psychological literature suggests that older consumers are even more subject to this particular bias. He cautioned that one must interpret survey data "with a grain of salt." FPI survey data indicate that most Americans first hear about recalls from TV, which is how 71 percent of respondents first heard about the 2006 spinach recall (the remainder heard about it from the radio [9 percent]
From page 126...
... FPI survey data also suggest that people conduct personal risk assessments when they hear recall information. In a GMA-sponsored study, participants were asked how important they think it is for news stories to include information about various aspects of a food recall (Table 6-3)
From page 127...
... . When asked how likely the food they purchased will be recalled compared to other Americans purchasing the same food product, 38 percent said "somewhat less" or "much less." Hallman described these results as "classic optimistic bias." While people believe that food recalls are important, some do not believe that recalls necessarily apply to them.
From page 128...
... For example, during the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, 93 percent of survey respondents said that they had heard about the warning not to eat tomatoes (Cuite et al., 2008)
From page 129...
... She listed a number of key findings from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, which measures American adults' literacy skills.3 • Adults age 65 and over have lower health literacy scores than any other age group. In general, older adults tend to be less educated than the rest of the population.
From page 130...
... Chernoff mentioned how difficult it has been to conduct online courses and reach a point where even health professionals in rural areas are tak ing part, making the idea of getting consumers to use the Internet for accessing health information seem even more challenging. For the remainder of her presentation, Chernoff discussed the elements of effective written and oral communication.
From page 131...
... • Use captions to highlight information. Highlighting information is a way to reinforce key messages.
From page 132...
...  PRoVIdIng HEAltHy And SAFE FoodS AS WE AgE The Elements of Effective Oral Communication Chernoff then listed and described elements of effective oral c ommunication: • listen. Chernoff called listening "perhaps the single most important thing in oral communication." • Speak slowly.
From page 133...
... . QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION The four presentations prompted many questions from the audience about recalls, the concept of opt-out strategizing, the concept of persuading by reason but motivating through emotion, the use of symbols to convey food safety information, and the challenge of sending simple messages about complicated situations.
From page 134...
... Through such reinforcement, even if the older consumers themselves do not hear the message, their children and friends may. For example, one reason influenza vaccinations in older adults have a fairly high compliance rate is because many children nudge their parents to "go do this." Hallman also emphasized the need for a searchable database where food recall information can be easily accessed, for example some kind of tool that allows consumers to scan a food bar code to see if that particular food product has been recalled.
From page 135...
... As a result, enrollments levels increased significantly. In health care, most actions require that consumers make conscientious decisions "to do the right thing in a world that craves convenience." As Bodhaine mentioned during his presentation, "one of the reasons that health is so hard is because life has become so extraordinarily easy." Opt-out health solutions make it easy for consumers to "make the right decision." An example of an opt-out health solution is putting larger labels on fruits and vegetables than on other food items in cafeterias and changing the placement of foods at the checkout counter (e.g.
From page 136...
... DeWaal added that emotion is a natural component of the issue of food safety. Media stories that focus on individuals who have fallen ill from eating contaminated food products naturally lend themselves to providing "a level of emotion and a level of connection." Severe foodborne illnesses are random events.
From page 137...
... Hallman commented on the gray market for food products and how dollar stores and the like have erased lot numbers or copied over expiration dates. Many older Americans, particularly those who are food insecure, shop at these establishments.
From page 138...
... He suggested that a similar system might be worth considering for conveying information about food safety. Sending Simple Messages About Complicated Situations Groth mentioned that several speakers had emphasized the need to keep messages simple so that they can be understood.


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