The characteristics were studied of risk communication regarding food safety (i.e., two-way, one-way, or not in practice) by local public agencies. The staff in charge of nutrition at public agencies in Japan were surveyed in November 2006 by means of a questionnaire answered anonymously. Answers concerning risk communication practices with residents were classified into three groups: ‘two-way,’ ‘one-way,’ and ‘not in practice.’ A cross-sectional analysis and chi-square test were used to assess each characteristic and differences between the groups for the other questions.
Responses on risk communication practices with residents showed 144 (12.4%) responses as ‘two-way,’ 371 (31.9%) as ‘one-way,’ and 613 (52.8%) as ‘not in practice.’ The percentage of the ‘two-way’ group was significantly (
p<0.001) high for those respondents being from districts of Tokyo or from a city with its own health care center (37, 38.5%), having the intention (48, 20.0%) and confidence to carry out risk communication (19, 42.2%), and believing it necessary to tell residents that no food is completely safe (42, 25.5%). Most local public agencies did not practice ‘two-way’ risk communication, making it necessary to convert the ‘one-way’ and ‘not in practice’ groups to ‘two-way’ risk communication.
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