Int. J. One Health Vol.9 Article-12
Research Article
International Journal of One Health, 9(2): 150-158
https://doi.org/10.14202/IJOH.2023.150-158
Knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices of food handlers related to food safety in Al-Suwaira City, Wasit Province in Iraq
2. Department of Crime Evidence, Institute of Medical Technology/Al-Mansour, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq.
3. Suwaria Primary Health Care Sector, Wassit Health Office, Wassit, Iraq.
Background and Aim: Food safety and hygiene are global health concerns, particularly in underprivileged nations, due to the increased incidence of foodborne diseases (FBDs) and associated mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the food handlers’ knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices toward food safety in Al-Suwaira City, Wasit governorate, Iraq.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, researchers interviewed 130 food handlers to assess their knowledge, attitude, and hygiene regarding food safety in Al-Suwaira, Wasit governorate, Middle Eastern Iraq, from October 2022 to March 2023. The data regarding their age, sex, place of residence, education, employment history, marital status, and monthly income were collected through a questionnaire, as were details on their knowledge, attitudes, and hygiene habits about food safety.
Results: Overall, most participants demonstrated poor knowledge of food hygiene and preservation but showed good knowledge of personal hygiene. Knowledge gaps were identified about the healthy ways to clean and use cooking utensils (35.38%), storage of food in the refrigerator (33.85%), and the possible exposure to foodborne pathogens when utensils are reused to cook vegetables and meat (12.31%). Nearly all participants in this study had positive attitudes toward food safety. Most participants (n = 100, 76.7%) agreed that separating raw and cooked food is the best way to avoid spreading germs. Moreover, 109 respondents (83.85%) agreed that washing hands before preparing food efficiently reduces the spread of FBDs. Furthermore, 117 participants (90%) disagreed that disposing of expired perishable foods is necessary, while 91.54% disagreed that monitoring meals for cleanliness and health is important. Our findings showed that 57.15% of the participants had low-to-intermediate competence in food safety procedures, such as avoiding cross-contamination, checking food temperatures, and washing hands thoroughly before and after handling food.
Conclusion: The participants in this study exhibited poor compliance and awareness of food safety procedures and practices, respectively. Therefore, educational opportunities and training are necessary to enhance their knowledge, attitudes, and cleanliness levels. Keywords: food handlers, food safety, Iraq, knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices, Wasit province.
Keywords: food handlers, food safety, Iraq, knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices, Wasit province.
Received: 26-07-2023 Accepted: 16-10-2023 Published online: 21-11-2023
Corresponding author: Manal H. G. Kanaan E-mail: manalhadi73@yahoo.com
DOI: 10.14202/IJOH.2023.150-158
Copyright: Kanaan, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.