Perception and practice of family food and water hygiene in a semi-rural area of Saudi Arabia

This study was carried out in Dareen, a semi-rural area in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It serves as an indicator to some of the possibilities of contamination of water and food at the point of consumption. Some of the problems identified include infrequent cleaning of water storage containers, infants drinking unboiled water and lack of general hygienic conditions in the house with an abundance of flies. In general, educational rather than income level of the respondents influenced the knowledge and practice of water and food hygiene. Health education in these areas is recommended