Predicting Intention for Food Safety Behavior among Food Handlers: A Cross-sectional Study in Indonesia’s Beach Culinary Area

Abstract

Background: The food safety behavior of food handlers constitutes the main factor in foodborne disease control. According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, behavior is determined by the intention that is established from a combination of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This research aimed to predict the intention for food safety behavior using the Theory of Planned Behavior. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for two months in the Bantul beach culinary area, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The research population consisted of 80 food handlers representative of all existing seafood stalls. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face using a paper-based questionnaire related to attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention. The data collected were evaluated using structural equation model-partial least square (SEM-PLS), version 3.0, with a sig. level of 0.05. Results: This research successfully predicted 64.3% of the variance in the intention for food safety behavior of food handlers (R2 adjusted = 0.643). The variable-perceived behavioral control was the strongest and most significant predictor, with a positive effect on intention for food safety behavior (β = 0.560, p = 0.000 < 0.05), followed by the variable subjective norms (β = 0.275, p = 0.001 < 0.05). The variable attitude was the weakest predictor, with an insignificant positive effect (β = 007.0, p = 0.182 > 0.05). Conclusion: This research successfully predicted the intention for food safety behavior of food handlers in the Bantul beach culinary area, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.