Food borne illness among Native American populations exceeds that of majority populations. Due to the unique cultural diversity in New Mexico, these inequities are even greater. Attitudes and behaviors towards food are influenced by social and cultural contexts, yet, there has been limited research relating to the knowledge and perceptions of minority populations. A qualitative research design using focus group methodology was used in this study. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the food safety practices and beliefs of primary food handlers within Native American families. Thirty-one participants were recruited to participate in focus group discussions and to complete a food safety knowledge survey. Data was organized and analyzed for central themes. Results suggest a need for cultural competent public health education designed to increase awareness about food safety practices within the home.
","abstract_html":"<p>Food borne illness among Native American populations exceeds that of majority populations. Due to the unique cultural diversity in New Mexico, these inequities are even greater. Attitudes and behaviors towards food are influenced by social and cultural contexts, yet, there has been limited research relating to the knowledge and perceptions of minority populations. A qualitative research design using focus group methodology was used in this study. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the food safety practices and beliefs of primary food handlers within Native American families. Thirty-one participants were recruited to participate in focus group discussions and to complete a food safety knowledge survey. Data was organized and analyzed for central themes. Results suggest a need for cultural competent public health education designed to increase awareness about food safety practices within the home.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["O'Connell, Lindsay"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Health Education","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Perry, Christina","Armstrong, Jan","Avila, Magdalena","N/A"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-07-02T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-07-02T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:26:22Z","subjects":["Native American","Food Safety","Foodborne Illness","Qualitative","Focus Groups","Health and Physical Education"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_hess_etds/60"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_hess_etds/60","href":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_hess_etds/60","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1928/20775","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Perry, Christina","Armstrong, Jan","Avila, Magdalena","N/A"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["O'Connell, Lindsay"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-05-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis","Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Health Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Native American","Food Safety","Foodborne Illness","Qualitative","Focus Groups","Health and Physical Education"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1928/20775","https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_hess_etds/60"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Food borne illness among Native American populations exceeds that of majority populations. Due to the unique cultural diversity in New Mexico, these inequities are even greater. Attitudes and behaviors towards food are influenced by social and cultural contexts, yet, there has been limited research relating to the knowledge and perceptions of minority populations. A qualitative research design using focus group methodology was used in this study. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the food safety practices and beliefs of primary food handlers within Native American families. Thirty-one participants were recruited to participate in focus group discussions and to complete a food safety knowledge survey. Data was organized and analyzed for central themes. Results suggest a need for cultural competent public health education designed to increase awareness about food safety practices within the home.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["FOOD HANDLING PERCEPTIONS, PRACTICES, KNOWLEDGE AND BARRIERS IN NATIVE AMERICAN PRIMARY FOOD HANDLERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN NEW MEXICO"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Perry, Christina","Armstrong, Jan","Avila, Magdalena","N/A"],"dc:creator":["O'Connell, Lindsay"],"dc:date.available":["2014-05-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Food borne illness among Native American populations exceeds that of majority populations. Due to the unique cultural diversity in New Mexico, these inequities are even greater. Attitudes and behaviors towards food are influenced by social and cultural contexts, yet, there has been limited research relating to the knowledge and perceptions of minority populations. A qualitative research design using focus group methodology was used in this study. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the food safety practices and beliefs of primary food handlers within Native American families. Thirty-one participants were recruited to participate in focus group discussions and to complete a food safety knowledge survey. Data was organized and analyzed for central themes. Results suggest a need for cultural competent public health education designed to increase awareness about food safety practices within the home.
"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/1928/20775","https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/educ_hess_etds/60"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["Native American","Food Safety","Foodborne Illness","Qualitative","Focus Groups","Health and Physical Education"],"dc:title":["FOOD HANDLING PERCEPTIONS, PRACTICES, KNOWLEDGE AND BARRIERS IN NATIVE AMERICAN PRIMARY FOOD HANDLERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN NEW MEXICO"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis","Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Health Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:26:22Z"}