The knowledge, attitude, and practices of food handlers in central South African hospices

• Published in: Food science & nutrition 2020-06, Vol.8 (6), p.2598-2607
• Main Authors: Nkhebenyane, Jane Sebolelo, Lues, Ryk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attitudes; Chi-square test; Developing countries; Disease; Employment; Food; Food contamination; food handlers; Food handling; Food poisoning; Food safety; food safety training and food safety knowledge; Foodborne diseases; Gloves; Handlers; Hospices; Kitchens; Knowledge; LDCs; Microorganisms; NGOs; Nongovernmental organizations; Original Research; Palliative care; Pathogens; Polls & surveys; Questionnaires; Safety; Statistical analysis; Studies
• ISSN: 2048-7177; 2048-7177
• DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1499

The escalating number of foodborne diseases and food poisoning outbreaks demand a better call for improved food‐handling practices. Hospices are typically described as nongovernmental organizations that offer palliative care to terminally ill patients. The majority of hospice food handlers are not trained in food safety aspects, and services are offered on a voluntary basis. In this study, a descriptive survey design comprising of semistructured questionnaire was utilized to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the hospice food handlers (n = 100) in hospices around Central South Africa. More than half of the participants (68%) had not taken basic food safety training. The average percentage of the correct answers on the knowledge questionnaire was 66.8%. The participants had a mean age of 35 years (SD = 9.27). Attendance of food safety course had a significant effect on both the practices of using gloves to touch or distribute unwrapped foods (χ2 = 8.411, p‐value = .012), and washing hands after using gloves (χ2 = 12.560, p‐value = .001). The overall KAP mean score was 78.38. A statistically significant difference was found between the trained and untrained food handlers regarding food safety knowledge (p