Foodborne pathogens awareness and food safety knowledge of street-vended food consumers: A case of university students in Ghana

Heliyon · 8 authors, 5 centres

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TL;DR

Demographic factors like age, tribe, institution, and field of study significantly influenced knowledge levels.

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This cross-sectional study assessed awareness of foodborne pathogens and food safety knowledge among 803 university students in Ghana's Volta Region using non-probability sampling. The mean overall score for pathogen awareness was 14.36 ± 4.57, with a passing rate of 73.6%. The mean overall score for food safety knowledge was 12.43 ± 3.27, with a passing rate of 77.3%. Significant differences in scores were found based on age, tribe, institution, field of study, and level of study (p < 0.05), with science and medical students showing higher knowledge. Limitations include the non-probability sampling method and focus on only three institutions.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

public health

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100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10359811

Foodborne pathogens awareness and food safety knowledge of street-vended food consumers: A case of university students in Ghana

Heliyon

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ABSTRACT

Food pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites are agents present in food or water that can cause foodborne illness. Some of these pathogens have been identified in Ghanaian foods and were responsible for the major foodborne disease outbreaks in Ghana. Thus, the current study assessed the awareness of foodborne pathogens and food safety knowledge of students in Ghana. The study employed non-probability techniques, as well as purposive and convenient techniques, to recruit institutions and students for the study. Out of 803 students, the majority (52.3%) were male, between the ages of 20 and 25 (52.8%), attended Ho Technical University (49.8%), and offered non-science-related courses (45.1%). The majority of the respondents were aware of foodborne pathogens, particularly Staphylococcus aureus (53.4%) and Salmonella typhimurium (53.5%). The mean overall score of foodborne pathogen awareness was 14.36 ± 4.57; the passing rate was 73.6%; tribe, institution, field of study, and level of study all had a significant ( p < 0.05) effect on awareness of foodborne pathogens. The mean overall score of food safety knowledge was 12.43 ± 3.27; the passing rate was 77.3%; age, tribe, institution, field of study, and level of study all had a significant ( p < 0.05) effect on food safety knowledge. Hence, food safety courses should be extended to all levels of education to increase awareness.

CITATION EXPORT

Felix Kwashie Madilo, Md Nazrul Islam, Emmanuel Letsyo et al.. Foodborne pathogens awareness and food safety knowledge of street-vended food consumers: A case of university students in Ghana. Heliyon. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17795

AUTHORS

8 · 5 CENTRES

Felix Kwashie Madilo, Md Nazrul Islam, Emmanuel Letsyo, Nitai Roy, Comfort Mawuse Klutse, Ekua Quansah, Priscilla Ama Darku, Md Bony Amin

aDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Ho Technical University, Box HP 217, Volta Region, Ho, Ghana
bDepartment of Post-Harvest Technology and Marketing, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali, 8602, Bangladesh
cDepartment of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali, 8602, Bangladesh
dDepartment of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Ho Technical University, Box HP 217, Volta Region, Ho, Ghana
eFaculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali, 8602, Bangladesh