A cross-sectional study on food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tareq Osaili ◽  
Reyad Shaker Obaid ◽  
Sadi Taha ◽  
Sofia Kayyaal ◽  
Rima Ali ◽  
...  

PurposeThe aims of this study were to assess the food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE and test the association between their socio-demographic characteristics and food safety knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA non-probabilistic sample of 231 domestic workers who help families in food preparation and/or cooking participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants completed a questionnaire composed of socio-demographic characteristics and four different aspects of food safety knowledge (personal hygiene, food poisoning, cross-contamination and temperature control).FindingsIt was observed that the domestic workers had inadequate knowledge about food safety with an overall food safety knowledge score of 32.9%. Total knowledge of “personal hygiene” and “cross-contamination” was relatively higher (46.2 and 43.9%, respectively) than that of “food poisoning” (18.1%) and “temperature control” (23.3%). A significant (P-value < 0.05) association was observed between overall food safety knowledge and marital status, age and education level, but not nationality of domestic workers (Asian or African).Originality/valueThe findings of this study are expected to encourage policy makers mandate food safety trainings for this segment of the population besides helping them in creating awareness and training programs regarding food safety.

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussein F. Hassan ◽  
Hani Dimassi ◽  
Zeina Nakat Karam

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess level of food safety knowledge and self-reported practices among Lebanese food handlers in Lebanese households and to identify the association between knowledge/practices and socio-demographic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,500 participants from different gender, age, area of residence, income, marital status and education. They completed a questionnaire of six questions about demographics, and 26 questions related to knowledge and self-reported practices in terms of food handling, storage, usage of kitchen facilities and personal hygiene subgroups. SPSS v23 was used for statistical analyses. Student t-test and analysis of variance were conducted. Significance level of 0.05 was used. Findings On average, participants scored 55.6±16.3, 51.3±25.7, 67.4±19.3 and 89.1±16.3 on food handling, storage, usage of kitchen facilities and personal hygiene, respectively, whereas the passing (score above 50 percent) rates were 64.5, 69.9, 90.5 and 99.1, respectively, for the different subgroups. Gender had significant (p<0.05) effect on food handling and personal hygiene; age, marital status and education had significant (p<0.05) effect on handling, usage of kitchen facilities and personal hygiene; area of residence had significant (p<0.05) effect on storage, handling and usage of kitchen facilities; income had significant (p<0.05) effect on handling and usage of kitchen facilities. Overall mean food safety knowledge and self-reported practices score was 63.8±12.6; passing rate was 86.2; gender, age, area of residence, education, marital status and income had significant (p<0.05) effect. Food safety self-reported practices and knowledge scores were significantly (p<0.001) related to a weak to moderate correlation coefficient (R=0.34). Practical implications The results confirm the need for ongoing educational initiatives to improve the relatively low food safety knowledge and practices among the Lebanese food handlers in Lebanese households. Originality/value No study has determined the food safety knowledge and self-reported practices of Lebanese food handlers in Lebanese households before.


Food Control ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 98-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevie Eleanor Ruby ◽  
Ungku Fatimah Ungku Zainal Abidin ◽  
Samuel Lihan ◽  
Nuzul Noorahya Jambari ◽  
Son Radu

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 501
Author(s):  
Andarge Zelalem ◽  
Kebede Abegaz ◽  
Ameha Kebede ◽  
Yitagele Terefe ◽  
Carla L. Schwan ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
M. S. Kayshar ◽  
M. S. Arifin ◽  
M. M. Rana ◽  
S. S. Akter ◽  
M. N. Hossain ◽  
...  

'Doi,' or yogurt, is a traditional dairy product in Bangladesh. Bogura's 'Doi' is the most popular of all 'Doi' items throughout the country. The state of food safety in the 'Doi' business is of great concern because this product is consumed by a vast number of people. The current study aims to evaluate the food safety knowledge and practice of the ‘Doi’ workers in Bogura as well as the associated factors. In this cross-sectional study, 150 people participated voluntarily and answered a structured questionnaire. The final result showed that the current state of their food safety knowledge (4.7±2.9; scale=15) and practices (21.5±6.2; scale=60) was not satisfactory. It was also observed that level of education, job hours, and training experience all had a substantial impact on knowledge and practices. Participants with a high level of food safety knowledge had 5.5 times more desired food safety practices than their peers. Therefore, the current findings emphasize the need of food safety trainings, certification, and employing educated personnel in the 'Doi' sectors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tareq M. Osaili ◽  
Anas A. Al-Nabulsi ◽  
Asma' O. Taybeh

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) amongst university students in Jordan and changes in food-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlation between food safety KAP scores and general characteristics of university students was also evaluated.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted where an Internet-based questionnaire was distributed through social media platforms. The sample consisted of 1,739 respondents from 29 Jordanian universities. The participants completed a 58-item questionnaire covering demographical characteristics and different food safety aspects which were namely “COVID-19 food-related attributes,” “food cooking and storage,” “personal hygiene.” “cross-contamination prevention/disinfection procedures.” and “restaurant hygiene.” Descriptive statistics, Chi square tests and binary logistic analysis were used to assess the data.Results: The sample consisted of 67.2% females with a mean age of 21.3 ± 1.8 years. The average overall score of the tested aspects was 14.1/34.0 which corresponds to 41.3% of the questions being answered correctly. The percentage of correct answers of “COVID-19 food-related attributes,” “food cooking and storage,” “cross-contamination prevention/disinfection procedures,” “personal hygiene” and “restaurant hygiene” was 56.8, 36.6, 28.4, 44.6. and 36.9%, respectively. A significant (P &lt;0.05) association between respondents' food safety KAP scores and gender, marital status, university degree, employment status, self-rating of food safety knowledge, and the source of food safety information.Conclusion: University students in Jordan had insufficient KAP scores which is a concerning trend during the pandemic. Teaching fundamentals of food safety in the form of short courses/ lectures is recommended.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Hasan Al Banna ◽  
Tasnim Rahman Disu ◽  
Satyajit Kundu ◽  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽  
Keith Brazendale ◽  
...  

Abstract 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.


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