Food Safety Knowledge, Beliefs and Behaviour among Health Sciences-related Field Undergraduate Students at a Local University (Pengetahuan, Kepercayaan dan Tingkah Laku Keselamatan Makanan dalam Kalangan Pelajar Bidang Berkaitan Sains Kesihatan di Sebuah Universiti Tempatan) / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

@#Foodborne disease is among the primary illness that causes morbidity and mortality in the world. Several studies show that most students do not have adequate food safety knowledge to protect themselves against foodborne diseases. This study aimed to determine the food safety knowledge, behaviour, and beliefs among undergraduate students at a local university in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study involves 121 respondents from three health science-related faculties at the studied institution. The questionnaire was distributed via an online platform. This study used multiple-choiceformat questions for Food Safety Knowledge and a Likert type scale for Food Safety Behaviour and Belief question statements. Most of the respondents were female (78%). About 16% of the respondents have experience working / volunteering in food services, and half of them are involved in food handling during their services. This study recorded a moderate score in all sections (knowledge, behaviour, beliefs) with a total percentage score of 60.3%, 60.3%, and 66.1%, respectively. A strong but not significant correlation between food safety knowledge and beliefs (r = 0.69 p > 0.05) and between food safety knowledge and behaviour (r = 0.83 p > 0.05) were observed. This study is useful as a basis to develop a targeted food safety education program among undergraduate students. Students with high knowledge of food safety will increase food safety beliefs and behaviour, thus preventing them from getting any foodborne illness.

Knowledge on food safety after a year of COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia

OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to determine the level of food safety knowledge, and its determinant factors during eating out settings, among Indonesian adults after one year of the COVID-19 pandemic.@*METHODS@#A cross-sectional survey was carried out from April 19 to April 26, 2021, using an online questionnaire. Participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, exposure to information, as well as knowledge towards food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic were obtained using a convenience sampling technique. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and logistic regression analysis.@*RESULTS@#From a total of 551 completed responses, the majority of respondents were female (76.8%), between the ages of 18-25 years (41.2%), had a college (bachelor) degree (65.2%), and lived in Java Island (74.0%). About 45.4% were exposed to food safety information 1-2 times per week and more than half (56.8%) claimed to get trusted sources of food safety information from social media. After adjusting with other variables, the most dominant factor associated with the food safety knowledge during eating out were age (26-32 years) (OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.0-2.7) and gender (female) (OR=1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.4).@*CONCLUSION@#After one-year of COVID-19 pandemic, the most dominant factors related to food safety knowledge are age and gender. Food safety knowledge has no significant association with attitude and practice.

Factors associated with food safety knowledge and practices among meat handlers in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND@#Food handlers can play a vital role into reducing foodborne diseases by adopting appropriate food handling and sanitation practices in working plants. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with food safety knowledge and practices among meat handlers who work at butcher shops in Bangladesh.@*METHODS@#A cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 meat handlers from January to March, 2021. Data were collected through in-person interviews using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three parts; socio-demographic characteristics, assessments of food safety knowledge, and food safety practices. A multiple logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with food safety knowledge and practices.@*RESULTS@#Only 20% [95% confidence interval, (CI) 15.7-24.7] and 16.3% (95% CI 12.3-20.7) of the respondents demonstrated good levels of food safety knowledge and practices, respectively. The factors associated with good levels of food safety knowledge were: having a higher secondary education [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.57, 95% CI 1.11-18.76], income above 25,000 BDT/month (AOR = 10.52, 95% CI 3.43-32.26), work experience of > 10 years (AOR = 9.31, 95% CI 1.92-45.09), ≥ 8 h per day of work (AOR = 6.14, 95% CI 2.69-13.10), employed on a daily basis (AOR = 4.05, 95% CI 1.16-14.14), and having food safety training (AOR = 8.98 95% CI 2.16-37.32). Good food safety knowledge (AOR = 5.68, 95% CI 2.33-13.87) and working ≥ 8 h per day (AOR = 8.44, 95% CI 3.11-22.91) were significantly associated with a good level of food safety practice.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Poor knowledge and practices regarding food safety were found among Bangladeshi meat handlers. Findings may help public health professionals and practitioners develop targeted strategies to improve food safety knowledge and practices among this population. Such strategies may include education and sensitization on good food safety practices.

A study to assess the assess the food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among food handlers

Background: Improper food production, handling, and preparation techniques have direct influence on health. A food borne disease is a disease usually either infectious or toxic in nature, caused by agents that enter the body through ingestion of food. The objective of the present study was to assess the food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among food handlers and to assess the improvement in knowledge and hygienic practices after educational intervention.Methods: This was a longitudinal educational interventional study, carried out during October to December 2017 among 50 randomly selected food handlers in and around Gandhi Medical College campus, where the study subjects were interviewed by using a questionnaire in local language regarding their knowledge and practices of food handling, and were then later educated on proper food handling practices by lecture and demonstration method followed by a post intervention interview after a gap of 2 weeks.Results: Out of 50 food handlers, 62% had knowledge of the food borne diseases and it raises up to 100% post intervention. During pre-intervention, only 78% of the participants used to wash their hands before preparing meal and after intervention 92% were washing their hands before preparing meal.Conclusions: Food safety knowledge and hygienic practices among food handlers improved by 73% after the educational intervention. Maximum improvement was seen in the use of gloves, caps and hand washing practices.

Foodservice Management and Food Safety Knowledge and Practices of Employees in Elderly Welfare Facilities

This study examined the current status of foodservice management in elderly welfare facilities and evaluated food service workers' food safety practices and knowledge. For this, the directors of 20 elderly welfare facilities (each with fewer than 50 residents) located in Seoul were interviewed and a survey of 40 foodservice workers was conducted to determine their food safety knowledge and practices. The facilities accommodated an average of 28 residents. All the facilities were self-operated and approximately 62% were dependent on payments by residents. Only 15% had a dietitian in charge of menu planning, food purchasing, and food safety management. Approximately 50% had their facility managers take responsibilities for menu planning and food safety management. Most of the facilities provided food safety training within their own facility and sanitized their utensils, cutting boards, and dishcloths on a daily basis. A limited number of foodservice workers, insufficient training programs, and budget constraints were some of the major barriers to food safety management. Their average score on food safety practices was 1.62, and that on food safety knowledge was 17.6 out of 19 points. These results indicate that the foodservice workers had good food safety knowledge and appropriate food safety practices. There was a significant correlation only between food safety practices related to receiving and storing food products and knowledge of personal hygiene.

Elementary School Students' Knowledge, Behavior and Request for Education Method Associated with Food Safety

We investigated elementary school students' knowledge, behavior, experience and preference of education method related to food safety in order to provide basic information for food safety educational program. A survey study was conducted with 569, fourth and sixth grade students, from two schools in Seoul and Ulsan. Students were asked thirty-two questions regarding food safety knowledge, behavior and experiences as well as their attitude to food safety class and preference for teaching method. The data was analyzed for the frequency analysis, t-test, chi-square test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation using the SPSS/Windows. Results indicated that 91.9 percent of the respondents did not know what unsanitary food is. 67 percent of the respondents did not know the proper method of hand washing. Although the students' level of knowledge and behavior associated with food safety was low, there was meaningful correlation(r =.184, p<.01) between knowledge and behavior. Surprisingly, students in higher grade did not demonstrate an exceeding food safety knowledge and behavior. More than 50 percent of the subjects did not have food safety education either at home or school. 60 percent of the respondents interested in food safety and the majority recognized that a food safety education is needed. Students want to learn about unsanitary food(34.1%), foodborne illness(29.7%), food selection and storage method(21.3%), and personal hygiene(11.2%) through game, role play, and practice in real situation. These results suggest that development of food safety education program is needed through the elementary school year and the education program must include fun activities in which students can participate.

Perception of Hygiene Education and Food Safety Knowledge among New Restaurant Owners: Focused in Gyeongnam Area

The Purpose of this research was to assess food safety knowledge and perceptions on hygiene education among new owners of restaurant in Gyeongnam area. In the questionnaire survey to 462 new owners of the necessity of hygiene education, more than half of them(56.3%) answered 'Needed' while 'So so(29.2%)' and 'No need(14.1%)' were also not a few. For the questionnaire asked what educational area was most beneficial, 'Restaurant management and service(53%)' was the most selected followed by 'Food safety management and briefing on relevant food safety regulations(20.1%)', 'Tax management(12.8%)' and 'Food culture and menu development(11.7%)'. According to evaluation on new owners' food safety knowledge, total average score was turned out to 6.83(out of total score of 15), less than 50% of average correct answers, it signified the demand for quantitative and qualitative improvement on hygiene education. To view the three areas' evaluation score, characteristics of foodborne illness(2.56 points, out of total 5 points) and general hygiene management(2.54 points) marked more than 50% of correct answers while critical control points marked only 1.73 points, the lowest score.