Development and Validation of an Escape Game for Food Safety Education: Gamifying the Management of a Food-borne Health Alert.

Abstract

Veterinary training programs in Europe must equip future professionals with essential knowledge and skills in food hygiene and technology to assess, promote, and monitor food safety, as outlined by the World Organization for Animal Health, Directive 2005/36/EC, and the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education standards. In France, veterinary education follows a competency-based framework that includes investigating food chain contamination and participating in multidisciplinary crisis management. To address the challenge of teaching practical public health skills, a food safety escape game was developed at the National Veterinary School of Toulouse. This teaching sequence simulates the management of a food-borne outbreak, using gamification to engage students in problem-solving through a realistic scenario. This study details the game's development, implementation, and efficacy evaluation. Student progress was assessed using a pretest and post-test survey, and perceptions were gathered through qualitative feedback. Results showed significant improvements in students' understanding of food-borne outbreak management and increased engagement with the subject. A debriefing session following the game further enhanced knowledge retention and reflection. The findings highlight the effectiveness of gamification and small-group problem-solving exercises, such as serious games, in veterinary public health education. In particular, the results of student questionnaires suggest that teaching health crisis management through an escape game linked to a real-life situation, along with the game's constraints (e.g., competition between groups, time limits), is highly valued and can improve the quality of teaching. This study provides valuable insights for educators aiming to enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes. Furthermore, it demonstrates that escape games offer an innovative approach to teaching complex public health subjects, helping students grasp key concepts in an interactive way. Future efforts will focus on expanding the game's scope, adjusting difficulty levels, and refining mechanics to better meet the diverse needs of veterinary students and professionals.