Food poisoning knowledge, attitude and self-reported practice among postgraduate students in public universities of ethiopia: An institution-based cross-sectional study

Résumé fourni par la source

Food poisoning is a disease caused by consuming food contaminated with infectious microorganisms, toxic chemicals, or harmful substances. The main aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practice toward food poisoning among postgraduate students at a public university of Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study employing a multistage sampling technique was conducted among 773 randomly selected postgraduate students in Ethiopia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to the participants. The completed questionnaires were subsequently analyzed using EpiData (version 4.2.0.0) and SPSS (version 29.0.0). Respondents’ knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practices have a median score of 8.0, 7.0, and 9.0, with interquartile range (IQR) of 3.0, 5.0, and 5.0, respectively. A positive correlation was detected between students’ attitudes and practices toward food poisoning (r = 0.315, p = 0.010). Multivariable analysis revealed that sex (p = 0.020) and academic department (health science, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with good knowledge, while sex (p = 0.001) and history of illness (p = 0.001) were significantly linked to more favorable attitudes. Additionally, sex (p = 0.001), age (p < 0.001), and marital status (p < 0.001) showed significant associations with good self-reported practices related to food poisoning. In this study, postgraduate students demonstrated good knowledge of food poisoning; however, their attitudes and self-reported practices were relatively poor and showed significant associations with certain sociodemographic factors. As a result, universities should pay special attention to incorporating additional food safety and public health courses beyond those currently offered.

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