Is Your Meal Safe When Eating Out with Diabetes: Applying a Health Belief Model Approach

Although foodborne pathogens can lead to severe complications for individuals with diabetes, this group remains underrepresented in food safety research compared to other vulnerable populations. This study evaluates the food safety knowledge of individuals with diabetes and empirically investigates potential mediators in the relationship between this knowledge and perceptions of food safety when consuming foods outside the home, utilizing the Health Belief Model. A total of 414 individuals with diabetes were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests, hierarchical regression, and the PROCESS macro(Model 4). Findings indicate that food safety knowledgevaries by gender, family history of diabetes, and previousexperiences with food poisoning. Additionally, self-efficacyand attitudes toward food safety significantly mediatedthe relationship between food safety knowledge andperceptions of food safety when dining out. The studyprovides valuable implications for researchers, governmenthealth agencies, and diabetic consumers by emphasizingthe importance of targeted educational interventions to enhance food safety perceptions and practices.