Abstract
Food borne diseases (FBDs) can occur due to the health status of the food handlers. The present study aimed to assess food hygiene knowledge, attitude and practices among hospital food handlers of ElManagil City, Sudan. A cross-sectional study was administered to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices, in food hygiene among hospital food handlers through a questionnaire. The food handlers expressed a level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of 70.1, 63.81 and 74.40%, respectively. The food handlers lacked knowledge regarding the transmission of hepatitis A virus and the working of infected food handler. They demonstrated poor attitude regarding the continuous evaluation of their health status, as well as the importance of training courses in the prevention of food contamination. They exhibited a low practice rate regarding removing nail polish and covering the head while preparing food. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the educational level with washing the utensils with a detergent, along with wearing gloves while working. It was concluded that the hospitals food handlers in ElManagil expressed moderate level of knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice in food hygiene. Generally, there is an urgent need to improve on food hygiene in health care systems in Sudan. Food hygiene training programs should be implemented among health care food handlers. Key words: Attitude, Elmanagil City, food handlers, food hygiene, hospitals, knowledge, practice.
Highlights
IntroductionFood-borne diseases (FBDs) have been reported by the
Food-borne diseases (FBDs) have been reported by theWorld Health Organization to be one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries (WHO, 2015).Factors such as unhygienic practices, insufficient sanitation, inadequate cooking, improper storage, crosscontamination and purchasing food from unsafe sources can lead to food poisoning
A cross-sectional study was performed from July 2016 to July 2018 in ElManagil City, Sudan, to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices related to food hygiene among hospital food handlers
Summary
Food-borne diseases (FBDs) have been reported by the. World Health Organization to be one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries (WHO, 2015).Factors such as unhygienic practices, insufficient sanitation, inadequate cooking, improper storage, crosscontamination and purchasing food from unsafe sources can lead to food poisoning. Improper food handling practices are the most common factor associated with. FBD outbreaks (Nyachuba, 2010; Koopmans and Duizer, 2004; Al Suwaidi et al, 2015). In African countries, FBDs have a negative health impact in hospitals. In Sudan, there is a considerable public health burden due to FBDs. Many different pathogens and toxins are known to cause. FBDs, with newer ones occasionally emerging, especially among restaurant workers. Pathogenic organisms are carried widely among food handlers in Sudan. 30.1% of food handlers were found to be carriers of pathogenic organisms, such as Staphylococci, Salmonella, and Shigella in addition to other pathogens (Saeed and Hamid, 2010), the food handlers
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