Effects of safety education on knowledge and attitude towards food safety among primary school food vendors in Oyo State: a quasi-experimental study

Adebayo Adeola Bukola

doi:10.51168/d1d2xj26

Autori

Adebayo Adeola Bukola Department of Health Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51168/d1d2xj26

Cuvinte cheie:

safety education, knowledge, attitude, food safety, food vendors

Rezumat

Background:

Food is the only substance universally consumed by humans and animals to sustain life and must therefore be properly handled and safeguarded, as contamination at any point along the food chain can have far-reaching and sometimes fatal consequences. Previous studies have largely focused on the prevalence of unsafe practices and levels of food safety knowledge, with limited attention to educational interventions capable of improving food handlers' behaviour.

Objective:

This study examined the effects of safety education on knowledge of, and attitude towards, food safety among primary school food vendors in Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria, and assessed the moderating effects of educational level and years of experience.

Methods:

A pretest–posttest control group quasi-experimental design, structured as a 2 × 2 factorial matrix, was adopted. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select sixty food vendors from ten schools in the study area. Knowledge of food safety was assessed using a validated and reliable questionnaire (r = 0.78).

Results:

There were significant main effects of treatment on knowledge, F(1, 52) = 122.09, p< .001, partial η² = .70, and on attitude, F(1, 52) = 751.25, p < .001, partial η² = .94. Participants exposed to safety education recorded the highest post-test mean scores in both knowledge (39.44) and attitude (33.58) compared with the control group. Findings on the moderating effects of educational level and years of experience on knowledge and attitude scores (H03, H04).]

Conclusion:

Safety education significantly improved food vendors' knowledge of, and attitude towards, food safety.

Recommendation:

Health teachers, governmental and non-governmental organisations, researchers, and stakeholders in school feeding services should adopt safety education programmes to improve food preparation practices, hygienic conditions, and consumption among primary school food vendors.

Biografie autor

Adebayo Adeola Bukola, Department of Health Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

is a doctoral student in the Department of Health Education, University of Ibadan. Her research focuses primarily on food safety education, community-based epidural analgesia, maternal and reproductive health, disease prevention and health interventions, and digital health communication.

Adebayo holds both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Health Education from Ekiti State University and the University of Ibadan, respectively.

Currently, her doctoral work examines epidural analgesia. Her recent work aims to bridge the gap between behavioral theory and public health practice to improve health outcomes among women in Oyo State.

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