Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca e documentazione sulla Sicurezza Alimentare

Centre for Research and Documentation in Food Safety

Via Cara de Canonica, 6 - 10041 CARIGNANO (TORINO), ITALY

 Tel 0119690294 - Fax 0119690725 - info@ceirsa.org

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Risk Perception and Food Safety During Pregnancy

During a multidisciplinary project on food safety in collaboration with the Regional Agency for Health Services of Piemonte (ARESS), a survey on risk perception of food safety risks during pregnancy was conducted in Local Health Unit nr. 8 (ASL8) of Carignano during informative focus groups on food safety for pregnant women. The results showed that that women are aware of food safety risks but that they rely on information not always clear. They are always aware of the risk Toxoplasmosis but the indications on the food to avoid are often different and conflicting, while the majority of women were totally unaware of Listeria monocytogenes. An inquiry at the Obstetrics/Nursery Department confirmed the absence of a standard information protocol for pregnant women, hence the difficulty for general practitioners and obstetrics to give homogeneous instructions based on scientific evidence. 

The value of a clear information is supported by many scientific works that demonstrated that information interventions focused on pregnant women have reduced toxoplasmosis seroconversions and the risk of being infected with Listeria monocytogenes during pregnancy.

Therefore an intervention was planned, with the involvement of gynaecologists and obstetrics, for the creation of a scientifically updated guide destined to integrate and uniform the information given to pregnant women.  

With the intention of getting objective data to realize the information protocol, techniques of risk quantification and assessment were adopted. The first step of the risk assessment was a bibliographical review of the food safety risks during pregnancy. Then the epidemiology of foodborne risks was analyzed from the results of surveillance and regional control programs. Some scientific uncertainties remained, and to have the possibility of individuating objective options to advice pregnant women, a consultation of a expert panel formed by clinicians, food safety experts, nutritionists, etc., was planned using the Delphi method. This technique allows, with the repeated submission of questionnaires containing bibliographical elements, to create a virtual discussion regarding the objective of a research. In the questionnaire it was asked to assign a level of risk to different types of food.

The 4 ratings proposed were:

• No risk: for food considered totally safe during pregnancy;

• Low risk: for food that should be eaten after implementing some precautions (i.e. cooking, washing)

• Medium risk: for food that is advisable to exclude from the diet during pregnancy;

• High risk: for food that should be absolutely avoided during pregnancy;

More information is available in Italian.

·             Letter of invitation to join the expert panel (in Italian)

·             Working group (in Italian)

·             Expert panel (in Italian)

·             The Delphi questionnaire (in Italian)

The results from this project were presented at several conferences, the material is downloadable from the site:

Risk analysis as a tool to plan information campaigns on food safety for pregnant women (in Italian).

Poster presentation at the I Workshop of Veterinary Epidemiology, ISS, Rome, 9-10 June 2005. The poster won the Profea prize (in Italian) for best poster presentation.

Toxoplasmosis in italian pregnant women: a risk communication approach (in English)

Poster presentation at the Toxo and Food 2006 International 8-10 May, Palermo, Italy. The work was also presented orally. 

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http://www.ceirsa.org/world_news4_5_6_2006.htm