Knowledge Attitude and Practice of Food Handlers Regarding Food Safety Practices District Kohat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of food handlers regarding food safety and personnel hygiene practices among the local food handlers of District Kohat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. Methodology: The Department of Community Medicine at the KMU-Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Kohat, conducted a cross-sectional study between December 2021 and May 2022. A cross-sectional study with a sample of n=265 adults was conducted, with a 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. The respondents' food safety knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours were evaluated using a well-designed questionnaire. Data were entered and analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Final results were tabulated and presented. Results: Out of those surveyed, 39.25% were found to have a basic understanding of the written word; 82.648% earned less than 30,000 PKR per month; 58.87% had worked for at least four years; and 67.74% were in the service industry (mostly as cooks and wait staff). In addition, 32.83 percent of those who handled the food had adequate expertise, 90.94 percent had an upbeat mentality, and 47.92 percent followed adequate procedures to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the food they handled. Conclusions: It was concluded that knowledge of food handlers was not up to the standards of food safety and personnel hygiene practices. Moreover, the attitude of food handlers was satisfactory whereas the practice was below the average satisfactory level and thus needs strategies to enhance knowledge, and to improve practices of food handlers regarding food safety to reduce food borne diseases. Keywords: Knowledge, Food Contamination, Practice, Food Handlers, Attitude, Kohat.

Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of the informed consent process in oral healthcare among dental students in Makerere University Dental Hospital, Uganda

“…Students with positive attitudes toward the informed consent process were more likely to practice adequate informed consent than those with negative attitudes (Table 6). This nding is comparable with studies [5,16] in Pakistan in auditing of the knowledge and attitudes of doctors towards informed consent in surgical procedures. This could be due to the increased awareness of the bene ts of taking informed consent and also its inclusion in the academic curriculum during their three years of biomedical sciences.…”

“…Knowledge of the informed process was generally very high (above 90%) among the respondents (Table 2). This nding supports a study conducted in Pakistan among dentists, where 80% had good knowledge of informed consent, 17% had fair knowledge and 3% had poor knowledge [5].…”

“…However, it is not in line with a study conducted in Pakistan regarding informed consent where 76.4% of the dentists were younger and aged 23-30 years [5]. This could be because they received more education during their training as compared to the older colleagues [5], which is not the case in the present study. Dental students scored high (98.0%) on the statement "It is the patient's right to be informed about the treatment".…”

“…As a result, their knowledge about the informed consent process increases. However, it is not in line with a study conducted in Pakistan regarding informed consent where 76.4% of the dentists were younger and aged 23-30 years [5]. This could be because they received more education during their training as compared to the older colleagues [5], which is not the case in the present study.…”

“…The requirement to obtain informed consent from patients before providing medical or dental care is now common practice [5] before any procedures due to related costs with unforeseen attendant complications or risks [6,7]. During dental training, students need to learn about their ethical obligations and accountability for their patients as this is critical to the patient's well-being [8].…”