The impact of socioeconomic status on foodborne illness in high-income countries: a systematic review

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: K. L. Newman, Emory University; Juan Leon, Emory University; Paulina Rebolledo, Emory University; E. Scallan, University of Colorado Denver
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-09-01
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP): STM Journals
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268814003847
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Epidemiology and Infection
• ISSN: 0950-2688
• Volume: 143
• Issue: 12
• Start Page: 2473
• End Page: 2485
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was partially supported by the F30 grant (K.L.N., grant 1F30DK100097-01); the ARCS Foundation (K.L.N); the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (J.S.L., grant 1K01AI087724-01; P.A.R., grant T32AI074492); the National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (J.S.L., grant 2010-85212-20608); and the Emory University Global Health Institute (J.S.L.).; This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
• Keywords: UNITED-STATES; Science & Technology; RAW SHELLFISH CONSUMPTION; ESCHERICHIA-COLI O157; GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS; Infectious Diseases; GENERAL-PRACTICE; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS NOTIFICATIONS; SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS; INFECTIOUS INTESTINAL DISEASE; Foodborne infections; FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; RISK-FACTORS
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Foodborne illness is a major cause of morbidity and loss of productivity in developed nations. Although low socioeconomic status (SES) is generally associated with negative health outcomes, its impact on foodborne illness is poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review to examine the association between SES and laboratory-confirmed illness caused by eight important foodborne pathogens. We completed this systematic review using PubMed for all papers published between 1 January 1980 and 1 January 2013 that measured the association between foodborne illness and SES in highly developed countries and identified 16 studies covering four pathogens. The effect of SES varied across pathogens: the majority of identified studies for Campylobacter, salmonellosis, and E. coli infection showed an association between high SES and illness. The single study of listeriosis showed illness was associated with low SES. A reporting bias by SES could not be excluded. SES should be considered when targeting consumer-level public health interventions for foodborne pathogens.