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on Reddit (yes versus no), and nine theoretical constructs
each evaluated as a continuous measure on a 7-point scale
(Reddit usefulness, usability, and credibility and safe food
handling instrumental and experiential attitudes, self-efficacy,
controllability, injunctive subjective norm, and social
pressure).
Each variable was first screened in univariable models. If
significant at a P ≤ 0.20 level, variables were then evaluated
in a multivariable model. Variables were removed from the
multivariable model if their 95% confidence intervals crossed
the null or if their removal changed the coefficients of other
variables by >20%. The proportional odds assumption of
the model was assessed with a Brandt test, with P < 0.05
indicating violation of the assumption (1). This assumption
assumes that the relationship between predictors and
outcome is the same for each combination of outcome
categories, so only one set of coefficients is estimated for
each predictor in the model (1).
RESULTS
Respondent characteristics, Reddit use, and selfreported practices
A total of 308 individuals started the survey, and 234
individuals completed it. Of these, 25 responses were
>50% blank and removed from analysis, leaving 209
usable responses. The sociodemographic and Reddit use
characteristics of respondents are noted in Table 1. Most
respondents were age 18 to 24 years (44%), female (67%),
located in the United States (50%), and enrolled in or had
completed a bachelor's or postgraduate degree (84%). Most
respondents primarily obtained food safety information
from their family and friends (28%), websites (27%), or
self experience (22%). Most respondents (73%) indicated
that they use Reddit daily, and among these respondents,
the median reported time of daily use was 2 h (interquartile
range = 1 to 2.75 h). The primary use of Reddit was to
passively review information (75%). Approximately onethird (36%) of respondents previously searched for food
safety information on Reddit, examining a variety of food
safety topics. Among these respondents, 88% reported
adopting the information obtained from Reddit to inform
their food handling practices at home.
The self-reported safe food handling practices of
respondents are shown in Table 2. Most respondents (82%)
reported always or often washing their hands before food
preparation, whereas only 50% reported owning a food
thermometer. Among those who reported consuming
meat or poultry (n = 181), the most common method of
determining the degree of cooking doneness was visual
methods (81%), whereas most respondents (71%) reported
rarely or never washing poultry before cooking it. Among
respondents who owned a food thermometer and prepared
meat or poultry meals, 58% reported always or often using
a thermometer to check doneness. Most respondents

(76%) reported refrigerating leftovers within 2 h, and 86%
reported consuming meat or poultry leftovers within 4 days.
Respondents who had previously searched for food safety
information on Reddit had safe food handling behaviors
similar to those who did not previously search for food safety
information on this website (Table 3).
Summary information for the theoretical construct
variables is shown in Table 4. In general, participants had
slightly above-average perceptions of the usefulness, ease
of use, and credibility of Reddit (Table 4). Participants had
positive attitudes and strongly perceived behavioral control
and injunctive subjective norm toward safe food handling at
home; however, they reported low perceived social pressure
related to safe food handling (Table 4). Respondents had
low to moderate intentions to use Reddit over the following
2 weeks to search for food safety information (mean = 3.03,
standard deviation = 1.88, range = 1 to 7).
Predictors of intentions to use Reddit to search for food
safety information
The final multivariable modeling results are shown in
(Table 5). There were no issues with the proportional odds
assumption (P = 0.226). Those who perceived Reddit to be
a useful and credible source of information and those who
reported previously searching for food safety information on
Reddit were more likely to intend to search for food safety
information on Reddit in the following 2 weeks (Table 5).
Those who had a higher experiential attitude toward safe food
handling at home (i.e., perceived it to be a pleasant experience)
were less likely to intend to search Reddit for food safety
information over the following 2 weeks, though this variable
had a confidence interval that included the null (Table 5).
DISCUSSION
The study sample was targeted toward young adults
who use Reddit. Respondent demographics (e.g., gender
distribution and food service industry experience) were
similar to those in prior surveys of young adults and
university or college students (7, 12, 14). Most respondents
in this study used Reddit at least once per day and indicated
that they primarily review content rather than actively post
or comment on others' posts, which is also similar to a prior
study of Reddit users (31). Although it was not their main
source of obtaining food safety information, one-third of
respondents indicated that they previously searched for
food safety information on Reddit, and the reported rate of
adoption of this advice was high (88%). This finding suggests
a high level of trust in the food safety information shared on
this platform and corresponds with research that shows that
consumers' safe food-handling practices and informationseeking behaviors are often influenced by their peers and
other sources they trust (22, 29, 38).
Most self-reported safe food-handling behaviors of
respondents (e.g., handwashing and food cooling and storage

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