Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39985711›Full record

ArticleHealth economics review2025

The heterogeneous association between education and the adoption of safe food handling practices in Ethiopia.

Kai Su, Barbara Kowalcyk, Devin LaPolt, Lina Gazu, Silvia Alonso, Binyam Moges Azmeraye, Desalegne Degefaw, Galana Mamo, Dessie Abebaw Angaw, Amete Mihret Teshale and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health economics review, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Healthcare costs of foodborne diseases in the United States: an analysis using electronic health records.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Kai SuDepartment of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. su.828@buckeyemail.osu.edu.
Barbara KowalcykDepartment of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Devin LaPoltDepartment of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Lina GazuHealth Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Silvia AlonsoHealth Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Binyam Moges AzmerayeThe Ohio State University Global One Health Initiative, Eastern Africa Regional Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Desalegne DegefawThe Ohio State University Global One Health Initiative, Eastern Africa Regional Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Galana MamoSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Science, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Dessie Abebaw AngawDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Amete Mihret TeshaleNational Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology Reference Laboratory, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Robert ScharffDepartment of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFoodborne disease is a great concern to low- and middle-income countries. To prevent illness and death, intervention strategies need to be implemented across the food safety system and should include promoting the adoption of safe food handling practices. The positive association between education and health has been well-established, and one possible mechanism is that education may improve health by encouraging individuals to adopt more appropriate protective practices. Decisions regarding adoption of these practices may also be influenced by the food safety risks individuals face, the trade-offs they make to maximize utility, or behavior biases which may be correlated with education. This study aims to estimate the heterogeneous association between education and the adoption of safe food handling practices among people facing different levels of food safety risk.

methodsModels were constructed based on the Grossman health model and risk as well as behavior bias theories. Multivariate logistic regression models were estimated to explore the heterogeneous associations using data from a community survey conducted in Ethiopia. Agricultural household status and livestock presence were used as proxies to represent varying risk levels. Average marginal effects were estimated to provide a more accessible interpretation of the results.

resultsResults showed that the association between education and certain safe food handling practices was positive among individuals in households assumed to face higher food safety risks, while the association was less pronounced (or even negative) for those facing lower levels of risk. We observed that secondary education attainment was associated with a 20 percentage points increase (p < 0.01) in the probability of washing hands compared to the reference group (illiterate) in agricultural households. However, for non-agricultural households, secondary education was associated with a 10 percentage points decrease (p < 0.05) in probability. Similar patterns were found for washing surface.

conclusionsEducation is associated with increased adoption of safe food handling practices among individuals facing higher food safety risks. This has important implications for developing targeted policies focused on individuals most susceptible to foodborne diseases. Future policies aimed at increasing the adoption of safe food handling practices should also integrate individuals' decision-making processes and behavior biases in the context of varying risk levels.

Indexed as

Behavior biasEducationEthiopiaFood handling practiceFood safetyGrossman modelLow- and middle-income countriesOptimism biasProtective health behaviorRisk

Identifiers

PMID39985711
PMCPMC11846210

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.