Brenda L. Elledge

A preliminary evaluation of the effect of glove use by food handlers in fast food restaurants

A study was conducted to determine whether the levels of selected microorganisms differed on foods handled by gloved and bare hands at fast food restaurants. Three hundred seventy-one plain flour tortillas were purchased from fast food restaurants and analyzed for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., coliform bacteria, and heterotrophic plate count bacteria. Approximately 46% of the samples were handled by workers wearing gloves compared with 52% of samples with bare hand contact. Coliform bacteria were found in 9.6% of samples handled by gloved workers and 4.4% of samples handled by bare hands, although this difference was not statistically significant. The distribution of heterotrophic plate count bacteria, a general measure of hygiene, was also higher in samples handled by gloved workers in one restaurant chain. The presence of E. coli, Klebsiella sp., and S. aureus was detected in one, two, and eight samples, respectively, and there were no significant differences between samples handled by gloved or bare hands. Neither direct contact of the tortilla with the food preparation surface nor gender of the worker affected the level of any organism tested. The observed tendency of food workers to wear the same pair of gloves for extended periods and complacency might account for the apparent failure of gloves to reduce or prevent bacterial contamination. The results further suggest that glove use might be counterproductive because workers might wash their hands less frequently when gloved.

Implications of Public Understanding of Avian Influenza for Fostering Effective Risk Communication

Avian influenza has three of the four properties necessary to cause a pandemic. However, are we as individuals and communities prepared for a pandemic flu in the United States? To help answer this question, 12 focus groups (N = 60) were conducted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to determine the level of awareness of avian and pandemic flu for the county health department to develop effective communication messages. The overall findings indicate that the general Tulsa public lacks information about avian influenza or pandemics, does not believe a pandemic will occur, and believes if one does occur the government will take care of it. Finally, the groups agreed that education would be the key to preventing widespread panic if a pandemic occurred. Five themes emerged: confusion about terminology, seriousness of avian influenza, disaster fatigue, appropriate precautions, and credibility of health information. Each should be considered in developing effective risk communication messages.

A Model for Assessing Public Health Emergency Preparedness Competencies and Evaluating Training Based on the Local Preparedness Plan

This paper describes a six-step model to improve the capacity of public health agencies responding to any hazardous event. Developed through a partnership with an academic center and a local public health agency, the model incorporates lessons learned in the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) Public Health Ready (PHR) pilot study conducted in 2003. The proposed model integrates aspects of two existing approaches with concepts from the field of emergency management, and emphasizes the importance of timely evaluation. The evaluation of the model includes both individuals workers and larger work groups. It addresses both general goals and the agencys local plan. The model also stresses the need to work with all levels of the agency to develop the local plan. In the model, evaluation is accomplished using self-assessment, measures of objective knowledge, ratings of individual performance, and ratings of team performance. Though based on a pilot study, the model may have application for other agencies working to increase their capacity to respond to hazardous events.