Abstract
Food poisoning associated with microbial pathogens causes millions of foodborne disease cases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Awareness about foodborne pathogens may play a positive role in the reduction of foodborne illnesses. The present cross-sectional study investigates awareness about five major microbial pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, Listeria, and Escherichia coli) among university students (n = 399) from four major cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Multiple logistic regression models were used to predict the determinants of inadequate knowledge. Of the 399 study participants, only 34.5% of students knew the above-mentioned foodborne pathogens. Awareness varied by pathogen, and the variations appeared to be related to age, sex, education, and field of study. In comparison to students in health sciences, students in computer sciences were found to be less knowledgeable about foodborne pathogens (OR: 2.85; 95% CI: 1.36-5.99). Our findings suggest that awareness about microbial pathogens is low among students and is associated with their field of study. Effective education programs about foodborne hazards could help improve students' awareness of microbial pathogens.
Highlights
Microbial contamination of food is a major public health concern due to the emergence of foodborne pathogens [1, 2]
Of the 399 study participants, approximately 29.5% resided in the city of Abha, followed by Riyadh (29.0%), Dammam (24.3%), and Jeddah (17.0%)
34.5% of students recognized all the major foodborne pathogens listed in this study: only 88 (22%), 43 (10.7%), 60 (15%), and 39 (9.8%) were aware of E. coli, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus, and Listeria, respectively
Summary
Microbial contamination of food is a major public health concern due to the emergence of foodborne pathogens [1, 2]. Numerous studies indicate that foodborne outbreaks are becoming more frequent globally and have urged public health interventions [4,5,6,7]. Microbial pathogens cause millions of foodborne disease cases, resulting in many hospitalizations and deaths in Saudi Arabia [8]. In the United States, 31 major pathogens caused 9.4 million foodborne illnesses [10]. Most (58%) illnesses were caused by norovirus, followed by nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. Food safety efforts generally focus on laboratory examination and physical investigation of the end product, while interventions to improve knowledge on the causes of foodborne illness have received limited attention
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