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http://dx.doi.org/10.13103/JFHS.2015.30.3.227

A Case Study for the Utilization of Food Safety Health Indicators in Korea: Computation of Composite Indices to Verify Important Indicators and Understand Correlations with Socioeconomic Status  

Choi, Giehae (Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University)
Byun, Garam (Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University)
Lee, Jong-Tae (Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School, Korea University)
Publication Information
Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety / v.30, no.3, 2015 , pp. 227-235 More about this Journal
Abstract
Food-Health indicators have been developed and utilized internationally in the 'Food' domain of environment and health indicators. In Korea, however, Food Safety Health Indicators which are in the introductory stage had been developed separately from Environmental Health Indicators. The aim of the current study is to suggest feasible applications of the domestic Food Safety Health Indicators as a case study. We introduced 3 possible applications which are as follows: 1) production of two types of Integrated Food Safety Health Index; 2) conduction of correlation analysis between the Integrated Food Safety Health Index and Food Safety Health Indicators; 3) conduction of regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between the Integrated Food Safety Health Index and socioeconomic status. As a result, we provided the calculated Integrated Food Safety Health Index I and Integrated Food Safety Health Index II, which represents the regional food safety level in relative and absolute terms, respectively. Integrated Food Safety Health Index I was significantly correlated with the outbreaks of food-borne diseases (caused by Campylobacter jejuni, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp. and unknown cause) and incidence of E.coli infections. Integrated Food Safety Health Index II significantly decreased as the proportion of foreigners and women increased, and increased as the population density increased. Utilization of such Integrated Food Safety Health Indicators may be helpful in understanding the overall domestic food safety level and identifying the indicators which must be considered with priorities to enhance the food safety levels regionally and domestically. Furthermore, analyzing the association between Integrated Food Safety Health Index and factors other than food safety could be useful in conducting risk management and identifying susceptible populations. Food Safety Health Indicators can be useful in other applications, and may serve as a supporting material in establishing or modifying policy plans to enhance food safety. Therefore, keen interests by researchers accompanied by further studies on food safety health indicators are needed.
Keywords
food safety health indicator; integrated food safety health index; risk management; socioeconomic status;
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