Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Food Poisoning among Parents in Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Food poisoning is caused by eating contaminated food. Improper food safety knowledge, poor food handling, and inadequate personal hygiene may allow microbes to grow in sufficient numbers to cause a food-borne illness. The aim of this paper was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding food poisoning and its determinants of parents in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 3011 parents in the Aseer region in the southwest region of Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was used to collect the data. The level of knowledge of the participants was scored as a percentage and further classified as “good” or “poor”. Attitudes were classified as “positive”, “neutral”, or “negative” based on a calculated composite mean score. The participants were asked about standard food hygiene practices, and the practices were recorded based on how often they were performed, with the results recorded as “usually”, “sometimes”, or “never”. Results: The age range of the parents was between 18 and 65 years old, with a mean age of 28.9 ± 10.4 years. Among the participants, 96.2% were Saudi, and 81.8% were female. Almost 53% of the fathers and 41% of the mothers were university graduates. About 55% of the mothers were housewives. Almost equal proportions of the parents had “good” and “poor” levels of knowledge on food poisoning. Around 41% of the parents had positive attitudes towards safe food consumption. Older parents (defined as above 30 years of age), males, university graduates, and urban residents had significantly higher levels of knowledge regarding food poisoning. Conclusions: This study provided much needed information on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to food poisoning among parents in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. Although most respondents reported satisfactory practices, gaps were identified in knowledge and attitudes. This suggests a need for further investigation focused on the observed practices and strengthening health education activities for the community.

Food Safety Concerns and Practices Among Palestinian University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In this study, findings supported that most respondents reported that their mothers are the ones responsible for food preparation. This is consistent with other studies reporting that mothers’ contribution to cooking is more than that of other family members (Ashkanani et al, 2021; Mb et al, 2017; Shati et al, 2021; Zyoud et al, 2019). Individuals responsible for preparing food to consider that food prepared outside the home renders them susceptible to food poisoning compared with that prepared inside the home (Meysenburg et al, 2014; Sudershan et al, 2008).…”

“…Another study also concluded that females are better informed regarding appropriate food handling compared to males (Zeeshan et al, 2017), which was also supported by another published paper that was conducted looking at university students’ knowledge of food poisoning (Osaili et al, 2021). In contrast to this, some studies reported better knowledge regarding food poisoning in males (Ashkanani et al, 2021; Shati et al, 2021). Risky food-related attitudes are more common among people with low education levels and low-income (Farahat et al, 2015; Zyoud et al, 2019).…”

“…In contrast to this, some studies reported better knowledge regarding food poisoning in males (Ashkanani et al, 2021;Shati et al, 2021). Risky food-related attitudes are more common among people with low education levels and low-income (Farahat et al, 2015;Zyoud et al, 2019).…”

“…Many studies published on food poisoning showed that many factors influence food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practice, including age, gender, residency, and education (Mekonnen et al, 2021; Mshelia et al, 2022; Shati et al, 2021; Yemane & Tamene, 2022). Older age, along with an increased length of practice, is associated with increased knowledge.…”

The State of Knowledge on Food Safety and Food Waste Among Young Consumers

“…Compared to our Polish youth, the youth from Jordan or Greece gave, on average, fewer correct answers to questions about food safety (only 46 %) [5]. In turn, young people living in Turkey and Saudi Arabia had a similar level of knowledge as Poles, respectively 57 % and 75 % of correct answers on food safety [47,51]. Studies conducted among adults have shown that knowledge about food safety increases with age and practice: women score higher than men, and younger respondents show the greatest need for additional food safety education [46].…”