Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Service Staff in Bangladeshi Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Md Hasan Al Banna¹, Md Shafiqul Islam Khan¹, Humayra Rezyona², Abdul-Aziz Seidu^{3

4

5}, Mohammad Tazrian Abid⁶, Tasnu Ara², Satyajit Kundu^{6

7}, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah⁸, John Elvis Hagan Jr^{9

10}, Md Abu Tareq¹, Musammet Rasheda Begum¹¹, Mohammad Faizul Tawhid Chowdhury¹², Thomas Schack¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Microbiology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh.
² Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, Azimpur, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh.
³ Department of Real Estate Management, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi P.O. Box 256, Ghana.
⁴ Centre for Gender and Advocacy, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi P.O. Box 256, Ghana.
⁵ College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia.
⁶ Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh.
⁷ School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
⁸ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, Australia.
⁹ Department of Health, Physical Education & Recreation, College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana.
¹⁰ Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Postfach 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram 4225, Bangladesh.
¹² Junior Consultant (Opthalmology), Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Eye Hospital and Training Institute, Gopalganj 8100, Bangladesh.

PMID: 35745271
PMCID: PMC9227153
DOI: 10.3390/nu14122540

Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Service Staff in Bangladeshi Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Md Hasan Al Banna et al. Nutrients. 2022.

. 2022 Jun 18;14(12):2540.

doi: 10.3390/nu14122540.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Microbiology, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh.
² Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Home Economics, Azimpur, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh.
³ Department of Real Estate Management, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi P.O. Box 256, Ghana.
⁴ Centre for Gender and Advocacy, Takoradi Technical University, Takoradi P.O. Box 256, Ghana.
⁵ College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia.
⁶ Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh.
⁷ School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
⁸ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, Australia.
⁹ Department of Health, Physical Education & Recreation, College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana.
¹⁰ Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Postfach 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram 4225, Bangladesh.
¹² Junior Consultant (Opthalmology), Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Eye Hospital and Training Institute, Gopalganj 8100, Bangladesh.

PMID: 35745271
PMCID: PMC9227153
DOI: 10.3390/nu14122540

Abstract

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices among hospital food service staff are crucial in the prevention of foodborne disease outbreaks, as hospitalized patients are more vulnerable to potential hazards. This study, therefore, sought to assess the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of food service staff in Bangladeshi hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 191 food service staff from seven different hospitals in Dhaka and Chattogram from October 2021 to March 2022 using pretested questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the factors associated with the food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices. The findings showed moderate knowledge but high levels of attitudes and practices of food safety among hospital food handlers. Food safety knowledge was significantly higher among males, participants from private hospitals and participants working in a hospital that had a food service supervisor and dietitian in charge of food service operations. Moreover, participants from private hospitals and participants working in a hospital that had a food service supervisor and dietitian in charge of food service operations had more positive attitudes and better practices regarding food safety. Hospital management should consider these factors for enhancing food handlers' knowledge and increase training and supervision on food safety practices to reduce foodborne diseases and outbreaks.

Keywords: Bangladesh; attitude; food safety knowledge; food service employees; handling practices; hospitals.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

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Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Service Staff in Bangladeshi Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Affiliations

Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Service Staff in Bangladeshi Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical