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Unveiling food safety knowledge and practices among pet owners in Lebanon.
Hassan, Hussein F; Dimassi, Hani; Fadous, Andrea; Abou Alayoui, Khalil; Hteit, Rasha; Khatib, Sami; Hassan, Hadi; Serhan, Mireille.
Affiliation
  • Hassan HF; Nutrition Program, Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. Hussein.hassan@lau.edu.lb.
  • Dimassi H; School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon.
  • Fadous A; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Balamand, Deir el Balamand, Tripoli, Lebanon.
  • Abou Alayoui K; Nutrition Program, Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Hteit R; Audencia Business School, Nantes, France.
  • Khatib S; Department of Liberal Education, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Hassan H; Department of Biological Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Bekaa, Lebanon.
  • Serhan M; Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB), Gulf University for Science and Technology, Hawally, Kuwait.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 19620, 2024 08 23.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-39179605
ABSTRACT
Owning pets offers various potential health benefits; however, it can be associated with gastrointestinal illnesses due to poor food safety knowledge and practices. This study aimed to evaluate the level of food safety knowledge and practices among pet owners in Lebanon, exploring the association between their knowledge/practices and socio-demographic characteristics. The participants included 300 pet owners, representing various genders, ages, educational levels, educational backgrounds, and incomes. They completed a questionnaire of 72 food handling practices and knowledge questions related to preparation, cross-contamination, storage and hygiene. In parallel, 300 non-pet owners with comparable sociodemographic characteristics to pet owners (control group) completed the questionnaire. On average, food safety knowledge scores were 62.1 ± 14.9% and 58.7 ± 15.5% among pet and non-pet owners, respectively, and the difference was significant (p = 0.05). On the other hand, mean food safety practice scores were 41.3 ± 14.8% and 40.4 ± 15.3% among pet and non-pet owners, respectively, and the difference was not significant (p = 0.41). In the food safety knowledge part, non-pet owners who were young, high income, university graduate, and from health-related majors scored significantly (p < 0.05) higher, while among pet-owners, only participants with a university degree and from health-related majors scored significantly (p < 0.05) higher, in terms of knowledge. On the other hand, In the food safety practices part, non-pet owners who were young, high income, and university graduates scored significantly (p < 0.05) higher, while among pet-owners, only young and high-income participants scored significantly (p < 0.05) higher. These results highlight the need for ongoing educational initiatives to improve food safety practices among both pet owners in Lebanon. The study suggests that targeted educational programs should be developed, considering specific socio-demographic characteristics, to enhance overall food safety awareness and practices among the population.
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Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Pets / Food Safety Limits: Adult / Animals / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: En Journal: Sci Rep Year: 2024 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Lebanon Country of publication: United kingdom

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Pets / Food Safety Limits: Adult / Animals / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: En Journal: Sci Rep Year: 2024 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Lebanon Country of publication: United kingdom