Sept. 8, 2010 — The risk factors for indoor and outdoor falls among the elderly differ, and not all falls indicate poor health, a study shows.

Researchers found that risk factors for indoor falls include being a woman and having an inactive lifestyle. Risk factors for outdoor falls include being a man and being more physically active.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Falls among the elderly are common, with as many as 40% of people age 65 and older falling each year. Falls can lead to serious injuries, such as a fractured hip or concussion.

While a great deal of attention has been paid to indoor falls, little is known about the risk factors for outdoors falls, which are also common. According to the study researchers, almost 50% of falls among older people occur outdoors.

The study may help health care providers better tailor prevention strategies that help the elderly avoid falling.

Researchers led by Marian T. Hannan, DSc, MPH, a senior scientist at the Institute of Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School in Boston, examined older adults who were randomly selected from households in the Boston area. The participants provided information on any falls that occurred over a two-year period and also underwent physical examinations.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Falls

Hannan and her colleagues found that:

Risk factors for indoor falls included being female, older age, inactive lifestyle, disability, having lower cognitive function, taking more medications, and overall poorer health.Risk factors for outdoor falls included being male, being younger and more physically active, having more education, and having average or better-than-average health.Among all the falls that were recorded, 9.5% resulted in serious injury, including 10.2% of indoor falls and 9% of outdoor falls.The majority of outdoor falls occurred on hard concrete surfaces, including sidewalks, streets, curbs, outdoors stairs, and parking lots. Fourteen percent of outdoor falls occurred in yards or gardens.

The study participants included 765 men and women, ranging in age from 64 to 97; 36% were male and 64% were female.

The findings could have implications in how patients are identified for being at risk for falling. Current fall prevention programs overlook risk factors associated with outdoor falling, the researchers note. They should be updated to consider a person’s activity level as well as other characteristics.

“Most fall prevention programs emphasize the prevention of indoor falls, particularly through strength, balance, and gait training; use of assistive devices; treatment of medical conditions; reduction in the use of certain medications; improvement in vision; and the elimination of home hazards,” Hannan and her colleagues write. “More attention needs to be paid to the elimination of outdoor environmental hazards involving sidewalks, curbs and streets, such as repairing uneven surfaces, removing debris, installing ramps at intersections, and painting curbs.”

webmd.com

Considering adding another dog to your home? First, consider the dogs you already have. 

“In my opinion, when you are looking to add a second dog to your home, first and foremost, you’ve got to look at your dog’s personality,” says Brad Phifer, CPDT-KA, director of pet behavior services for Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center in Indianapolis. This includes knowing your dog’s play style, energy and socialization level, and playmate preferences. 

Before you decide to add a second (or third, or more) dog, here’s what you need to know to make all your dogs feel comfortable.

For starters, Phifer tells WebMD that there are no set rules about good dog matches because all dogs – even within the same breed – are individuals. So it’s not necessarily true that female dogs match well with male dogs, younger dogs or older dogs make better second dogs, or that two puppies always do well together. 

Dog Introductions: What to Do

Dogs use body language to communicate, even when they are not directly interacting, says Lindsay Wood, MA, CTC, director of animal training and behavior at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, in Boulder, Colo.

She recommends walking your dog and the potential new dog together. Called parallel walks or proximity walks, these low-key activities allow dogs to get used to each other while doing something fun in a neutral space. This requires that:

Both dogs are on a leashThere is one person per dogYou keep the leashes loose, especially if/when the dogs choose to interactYou keep the first meeting brief (several seconds)You praise both dogs constantly and in a light-hearted tone

Have your dogs sit or lie down to practice self-control, especially if one dog seems nervous or excited. Phifer says jittery energy can lead to frustration or aggression. “First impressions between dogs are really important,” he says.

While walking, allow one dog to sniff the other. Phifer recommends letting your current dog sniff first, while feeding the potential new dog some treats. Then, switch.

If the walk goes well, Phifer suggests taking the dogs to a safe, fenced-in area to relax and interact.

What Not to Do

Avoid doing these things when introducing your new dog:

Don’t throw two dogs together in a car, house, or yard and assume they will work it out. Even social dogs that seem to get along need supervision or separation (via baby gates or crates) at home for a few weeks.Don’t keep the leashes tight when dogs first meet. The pressure from pulling only increases tension between dogs.Don’t let the dogs rush up to one another.Don’t use a stern voice, telling the dogs to “Be good!” or “Be nice!”Don’t immediately introduce competition or conflict over popular toys, food, or bones.

pets.webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com

Sept. 2, 2010 — Just how clean is your kitchen? An online quiz rates your hygiene practices with a letter grade — and gives you the information you need to keep your food safe from bacteria.

That’s according to a CDC report in the Sept. 3 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Researchers studied data from the years 2006-2008 from about 13,000 adults who completed a quiz developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health called the Food Safety Quiz, included in their Home Kitchen Self-Inspection Program.

The voluntary self-inspection and education program was designed to promote safer food hygiene practices at home.

 The CDC, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Sept. 3, 2010, reports that:

34% of people who took the quiz received a rating of A.27% received a B.25% received a grade of C.14% received a numeric score because they scored lower than 70% on the self-assessment, which asked such questions as whether foods were properly stored, preparation areas properly cleaned, and hands washed often.

The quiz is available online at www.lapublichealth.org/phcommon/public/eh/fsquiz/index.cfm.

Learning About Food Safety

The CDC report says the Food Safety Quiz is based on emerging evidence that the use of online, interactive learning tools are conducive to learning and can make it easy to master safe food handling practices.

The 57 questions on the quiz were guided by food safety education principles from the U.S. Department of Agriculture — namely, that food should be cleaned, separated, cooked, and chilled properly.

Available only in English, it stresses such food handling processes such as sanitizing cutting boards after handling poultry, safe handling of raw eggs, and appropriate methods for handling cooked and uncooked foods.

Improvements Needed on Hygiene Practices

The quiz focuses on food hygiene practices considered to be the most relevant to home kitchens, and focused on cleaning and chilling as two areas that people might overlook when preparing food at home.

People who scored an “A” were mailed a placard in recognition of their good food handling practices.

According to the CDC report:

The initiative has been credited with helping to reduce by 13.1% the number of hospitalizations for food-borne infections from non-typhoidal salmonellla, campylobacter, and E. coli in the L.A. region.Tools that educate the public about kitchen safety practices can complement established restaurant hygiene rating programs and aid other prevention efforts to reduce food-borne illnesses.

Citing statistics from Los Angeles, the report says that:

27,129 people visited the web site for the quiz.71% were from the L.A. area.13,274 completed the quiz.68% of respondents were female, ranging in age from 18 to 59.86% spoke English at home.81% said they were the primary cook.17% said they felt they had become ill in their lifetimes due to eating at home.

Other findings:

27% said they did not store partially cooked foods that would not be used immediately in a refrigerator before final cooking.28% kept on jewelry or didn’t keep fingernails trimmed when cooking.36% said they didn’t have a working thermometer inside their refrigerators.26% admitted their kitchen shelves and cabinets weren’t clean and free from dust.9% reported they had flies in their homes, 6% reported cockroaches, and 5% rodents.

CDC researchers write that home-kitchen-related food-borne diseases are underreported, and that improper practices occur often in home settings. Food-borne diseases caused 2,590 hospitalizations and 17 deaths in Los Angeles County during the 1999-2007 period, numbers that are considered underestimates, according to the report.

Salmonella: Protect Yourself Against This Culprit

webmd.com