Verified Document

Washing Conducted By Green And Slemen 2005 . Essay

¶ … washing conducted by Green and Slemen (2005). Literature on the subject, as they show, brings down a lot about the importance of washing hands before food preparation. Epidemiological research indicates that a lot of diseases break out in restaurants where inadequate hand-washing has been performed, and that many people acquire disease from eating meals outside the home. Over and again, reviews present information about the importance of washing hands before preparing food, but as the authors demonstrate, minimal to none investigation has actually been conducted on current practices of hand-washing. It would be informative, therefore, to investigate current practices and factors affecting these practices in order to see how, and in which ways, we can improve hand-washing practices. The literature review on the subject was general and skimpy. Merely an abstract outline was presented, but the methodology - which was the brunt of this article -- made up for deficiencies in the review.

Working on behalf of the Environmental He-lath Specialists network (EHS-net) -- an authoritative body concerned with improving health for the environment, the authors used 11 focus groups to collect the data. They deliberately chose the focus groups since they considered this medium to provide descriptive and rich data that could be difficult to obtain from other sources. It seems to me, however, that observation may have been just as informative, if not more, particularly observation where permission would have been unsolicited and where observers would have been inconspicuous in their role. Observation, too, may have better served the objective of their project which was to gain accurate information of the current practices of hand washing. Nonetheless, the authors chose a focus group believing this to be their most profitable approach.

Five groups were conducted with English-speaking workers, four groups were conducted with English-speaking managers, and two groups were conducted in Spanish with workers whose primary language was Spanish. The mix of participants is a clever step since the authors had to ascertain that not only were they clearly understood but that they could also understand the participants. More so, they had to have a diversity of voices and a good mix. Furthermore, as regards focus groups it is important that the discussion be free-flowing and that workers be encouraged to open up and be honest in their views. This mix of languages and varied targeted audience with each sample was helpful.
I did, however wonder why languages were confined to English and Spanish when other restaurants, such as Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean, also prominent in the U.S.A. An objective and accurate profile of current hand washing standards in restaurants may have been more profitable from involving a greater mix of languages and samples that are more indicative of the actual population.

More so, it would have been interesting to know whether researchers represented the type of people in the focus groups whom they addressed. It is important that both interviewee bias and interviewer bias are excluded form the study. Frequently, interviewee bias can best be excluded if the characteristics (gender, race, ethnicity and sod forth) match those of the interviewer. In this way, interviewee feels more comfortable with interviewer and is more apt to be open and transparent when responding. This, one may argue, is particularly so in a focus group climate. Similarly, for interviews to have best results, interviewers need…

Sources used in this document:
Sources

Glynis M. Breakwell, Sean Hammond, & Chris Fife-Schaw (1995) Research methods in psychology

London; Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications

Green, LA & Selmen, C (2005) Food preparation practices: A qualitative study. Food Prot. Trends. 21, 981-990

Keegan, S. (2009) Qualitative research: good decision making through understanding people, cultures and markets London; Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Informative Speech About Attention Deficit Disorder
Words: 1301 Length: 3 Document Type: Thesis

ADHD Informative Speech Informative Speech on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Purpose of the Speech: To inform the audience about what ADHD is (and is not), its symptoms, the different forms of ADHD, how it is diagnosed, and the treatment of ADHD. ADHD is a serious condition, but it doesn't mean that it has to ruin person's life. Text Follows: Bouncing off the walls! Anyone with a child has said this phrase, as the child runs

Informative Speech of Great How to Save Energy Power
Words: 774 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Speech on How to Save Energy Specific purpose: To inform listeners how energy-saving devices help the planet and consumers' ability to save money. Central idea: Saving energy can help you -- and the planet Informative speech: How to save energy Everyone wants to save money. Yet many of us are wasting money without even realizing it. When you leave the room, do you get any additional pleasure from leaving the light on while

Informative Speech for How Solar Energy Works
Words: 815 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Speech for How Solar Energy Works Specific purpose: To inform listeners how solar energy offers a beneficial source of renewable clean energy Central idea: Using solar energy offers a realistic source of clean energy, but governments and people must be willing to make the necessary changes to use it. Informative speech: How solar energy works Solar energy is perhaps the oldest form of power ever used by human beings. People have used the

Death Penalty Informative Speech Outline
Words: 924 Length: 3 Document Type: Thesis

Death Penalty This informative speech outline topic DOES THE DEATH PENALTY DETER CRIME? The outline detailed 4 APA references. It follow format detailed referenced. Please outline tornadoes OUTLINE FOR INFORMATIVE SPEECH Tornadoes Purpose: To inform audience tornadoes Thesis: Today I discuss fascinating facts tornadoes. To inform the audience about the two sides of the debate on the death penalty, regarding its justice and its deterrent effect. The death penalty is one of the

Life Coach E Focuses Informative Style Expository
Words: 1150 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Life Coach e focuses informative style expository writing. To convincing, essays driven critical thinking analysis. Throughout, learned aspects effective writing Final Project. Your Final Project end a hero's journey: sharing wisdom audience The hero's journey -- into weight loss and into a healthier future The journey of weight loss is a challenging one, further complicated by the fact that so many people have tried and failed to improve their diet and exercise habits

Films: An Informative Speech When
Words: 614 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Proposal

Today's documentaries have the qualities of feature films -- cinematography, suspense, captivating personalities, funny parts, and in some cases, special effects. If you want to learn about a topic, but don't have time to read a book on the issue, a documentary can be a valuable resource, as within one to two hours you can gain almost as much understanding as you would from reading a book. In addition,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now