Knowledge and practice of food handlers on food safety and health: A cross sectional study in one of Tehran’s districts
Social Determinants of Health,
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2019),
8 December 2019
,
Page 99-107
https://doi.org/10.22037/sdh.v5i2.25084
Abstract
Background: The people involved in food preparation play a major role in contaminating it due to improper food handling. The goal of this study was to examine the knowledge and practice of food handlers in district two of Tehran.
Methods: A cross sectional descriptive- analytical study was designed and data were collected via questionnaires. The reliability of the questionnaires were measured using Cronbach's alpha and Intra-class correlation obtained from test and re-test in an interval of 10 days. The reliability indices of the questionnaires were found to be above 70%, which were acceptable. The participants were selected by a simple random method (n=390). Correlation coefficient was used for analysis.
Results: The highest number of male participants, with diploma education belonged to the age group of 20 to 29 years old with a job experience of two to five years and more than 50% of them had passed the public health course. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between knowledge and practice (P<0.001). In knowledge section 215 (55.3%) of respondents were at middle level. About the practice, although 195 (50%) of participants were placed at a good level, in some cases, such as how to find out the optimal temperature for cooking burgers and chicken, the right way to defrost food and the time needed to reheat the food were found lacking.
Conclusion: Knowledge and practice in food handlers must be improved specially about the importance and role of temperature in food safety.
- Cooking
- Knowledge
- Food Handling
- Food Safety
- Practice
How to Cite
References
Jevšnik M, Hlebec V, Raspor P. Food safety knowledge and practices among food handlers in Slovenia. Food Control. 2008 Dec 1;19(12):1107-18.
Baş M, Ersun AŞ, Kıvanç G. The evaluation of food hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices of food handlers’ in food businesses in Turkey. Food control. 2006 Apr 1;17(4):317-22.
Walker E, Pritchard C, Forsythe S. Food handlers’ hygiene knowledge in small food businesses. Food Control. 2003 Jun 1;14(5):339-43.
Aziz SA, Dahan HM. Food handlers’ attitude towards safe food handling in school canteens. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2013 Dec 3;105:220-8.
Campos AK, Cardonha ÂM, Pinheiro LB, Ferreira NR, de Azevedo PR, Stamford TL. Assessment of personal hygiene and practices of food handlers in municipal public schools of Natal, Brazil. Food Control. 2009 Sep 1;20(9):807-10.
Motarjemi Y, Käferstein F. Food safety, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point and the increase in foodborne diseases: a paradox?. Food Control. 1999 Aug 1;10(4-5):325-33.
Henson S, Majowicz S, Masakure O, Sockett P, Jones A, Hart R, Carr D, Knowles L. Consumer assessment of the safety of restaurants: The role of inspection notices and other information cues. Journal of food Safety. 2006 Nov;26(4):275-301.
Jianu C, Chiş C. Study on the hygiene knowledge of food handlers working in small and medium-sized companies in western Romania. Food Control. 2012 Jul 1;26(1):151-6.
EFSA E. The Community Summary Report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food‐borne outbreaks in the European Union in 2008. EFSA J. 2010;8(1):1496.
Jahed Gh, Golestani FH. Vosooghi M, Pahlevan zadeh B, Dargahi A. Survey on attitude and knowledge of food safety and sanitation among soldiers of arak Malek- Ashtar garrison. JOURNAL OF FOOD HYGIENE. 2012;2(6):91-8.
Pirsaheb M, Almasi A, Rezaee M. The special health education course effects on knowledge, attitude and practice of preparation, distribution and sale centers food staff in Kermanshah. Iranian Journal of Health and Environment. 2010 Oct 15;3(3):299-308.
Lazou T, Georgiadis M, Pentieva K, McKevitt A, Iossifidou E. Food safety knowledge and food-handling practices of Greek university students: A questionnaire-based survey. Food Control. 2012 Dec 1;28(2):400-11.
Sharif L, Al-Malki T. Knowledge, attitude and practice of Taif University students on food poisoning. Food Control. 2010 Jan 1;21(1):55-60.
Osaili TM, Jamous DO, Obeidat BA, Bawadi HA, Tayyem RF, Subih HS. Food safety knowledge among food workers in restaurants in Jordan. Food Control. 2013 May 1;31(1):145-50.
Siau AM, Son R, Mohhiddin O, Toh PS, Chai LC. Food court hygiene assessment and food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in Putrajaya. International Food Research Journal. 2015 Sep 1;22(5):1843.
Rosnani AH, Son R, Mohhidin O, Toh PS, Chai LC. Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practices concerning food safety among restaurant workers in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Food Science and Quality Management. 2014;32(20):e27.
Fariba R, Gholamreza JK, Saharnaz N, Ehsan H, Masoud Y. Knowledge, attitude, and practice among food handlers of semi-industrial catering: a cross sectional study at one of the governmental organization in Tehran. Journal of environmental health science & engineering. 2018 Aug 28;16(2):249.
Soares LS, Almeida RC, Cerqueira ES, Carvalho JS, Nunes IL. Knowledge, attitudes and practices in food safety and the presence of coagulase-positive staphylococci on hands of food handlers in the schools of Camaçari, Brazil. Food control. 2012 Sep 1;27(1):206-13.
Buccheri C, Casuccio A, Giammanco S, Giammanco M, La Guardia M, Mammina C. Food safety in hospital: knowledge, attitudes and practices of nursing staff of two hospitals in Sicily, Italy. BMC Health Serv Res. 2007; 7: 45.
Lin JR, Chen SY. Study of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Food Hygiene by Cooks in Daycare Centers in the Tainan Area. NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES JOURNAL. 2004;29(2):83-96.
Akabanda F, Hlortsi EH, Owusu-Kwarteng J. Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of institutional food-handlers in Ghana. BMC Public Health. 2017; 17: 40.
Sharif L, Obaidat MM, Al-Dalalah MR. Food hygiene knowledge, attitudes and practices of the food handlers in the military hospitals. Food and Nutrition Sciences. 2013 Mar 18;4(03):245.
Cuprasitrut T, Srisorrachatr S, Malai D. Food safety knowledge, attitude and practice of food handlers and microbiological and chemical food quality assessment of food for making merit for monks in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok. Asia Journal of Public Health. 2011 Jan;2(1):27-34.
Bolton DJ, Meally A, Blair IS, McDowell DA, Cowan C. Food safety knowledge of head chefs and catering managers in Ireland. Food Control. 2008 Mar 1;19(3):291-300.
Wilcock A, Pun M, Khanona J, Aung M. Consumer attitudes, knowledge and behaviour: a review of food safety issues. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 2004 Feb 1;15(2):56-66.
Rahman MM, Arif MT, Bakar K, bt Talib Z. Food safety knowledge, attitude and hygiene practices among the street food vendors in Northern Kuching City, Sarawak. Borneo Science. 2016 Apr 6;31.
Annor GA, Baiden EA. Evaluation of food hygiene knowledge attitudes and practices of food handlers in food businesses in Accra, Ghana. Food and Nutrition sciences. 2011 Oct 17;2(08):830.
Ansari-Lari M, Soodbakhsh S, Lakzadeh L. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of workers on food hygienic practices in meat processing plants in Fars, Iran. Food control. 2010 Mar 1;21(3):260-3.
Angelillo IF, Viggiani NM, Rizzo L, Bianco A. Food handlers and foodborne diseases: knowledge, attitudes, and reported behavior in Italy. J Food Prot. 2000 Mar;63(3):381-5.
Clayton DA, Griffith CJ, Price P, Peters AC. Food handlers' beliefs and self-reported practices. Int J Environ Health Res. 2002 Mar;12(1):25-39.
Daniels RW, Daniels BL, Gilmet P, Noonan D. Home food safety study report. Food Safe Mag. 2000;7:37-40.
Roberts K. Using the theory of planned behavior to explore restaurant manager’s support for employee food safety training Exchange. Doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University Kansas State Research. 2008.
Seaman P, Eves A. The management of food safety—the role of food hygiene training in the UK service sector. International journal of hospitality management. 2006 Jun 1;25(2):278-96.
Zain MM, Naing NN. Sociodemographic characteristics of food handlers and their knowledge, attitude and practice towards food sanitation: a preliminary report. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2002 Jun;33(2):410-7.
Halim MH, Nagaretnam L, Azman SA, Saliluddin SM, Mahmud A. Association Between Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (Kap) And Hygiene Status of Food Handlers and Premises in Cafeterias of a Public University in Malaysia. International Journal of Public Health and Clinical Sciences. 2014 Sep 6;1(1):180-8.
Zhang H, Lu L, Liang J, Huang Q. Knowledge, attitude and practices of food safety amongst food handlers in the coastal resort of Guangdong, China. Food Control. 2015 Jan 1;47:457-61.
Medeiros CO, Cavalli SB, Salay E, Proença RP. Assessment of the methodological strategies adopted by food safety training programmes for food service workers: A systematic review. Food Control. 2011 Aug 1;22(8):1136-44.
- Abstract Viewed: 246 times
- PDF Downloaded: 147 times