ArticleBMJ open2023
Food handlers' knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices regarding safe food handling in charitable food assistance programmes in the eThekwini District, South Africa: cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Food hygiene practice and associated factors among food handlers working in food establishments in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Primary health care research & development · 2025Pooled it
- Food Hygiene Practices Among Preschool Food Handlers in eThekwini, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa: A Cross-Contamination Perspective.Environmental health insights · 2026Article
- Food handlers' insights into the barriers and facilitators to safe food handling in charitable food assistance programs in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Evaluation of hygienic food handling practices and associated factors among food handlers in the Amhara region, Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Italian journal of food safety · 2025Article
- Food handling practices and sanitary conditions of charitable food assistance programs in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Food safety knowledge and practices among raw meat handlers and the microbial content of raw meat sold at Kumasi Abattoir Butchery Shops in Kumasi, Ghana.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Hygienic Practices of Food Handlers in Yeka Sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.Environmental health insights · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to assess food handlers' knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices towards safer donated foods.
designThis cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2021.
settingThis study was conducted in the eThekwini District, South Africa.
participantsA convenience sampling-based cross-sectional survey of food handlers (n=252) served as the study's main source of data. A total of eight study sites across five municipal planning regions of eThekwini District were visited. The principal investigator administered the validated structured standardised questionnaire, using participants' language of choice, which was either English or isiZulu. All the questions in the questionnaire were asked in exactly the same manner, following the same flow, in order to avoid bias and ensure consistency. Furthermore, the close-ended nature of questions in the questionnaire mitigated the risks of question manipulation. The questionnaire was adapted from the WHO's five keys to a safer food manual. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices towards safer donated foods. The secondary outcomes were the sanitary conditions of infrastructure and facilities, food handlers' observed food handling behaviour and nutritional information/labelling.
resultsThe results show that the food handlers had good knowledge, positive attitude and acceptable behaviours towards safe food handling and general hygiene, with mean scores (SD) of 62.8 (14.6), 92.5 (14.1) and 80.4 (13.3), respectively. Significant correlations were found between knowledge and attitudes (p=0001), knowledge and practices (p<0001), and attitudes and practices (p=0.02). However, the correlations between knowledge versus attitude and attitude versus practice were poor (Spearman's r<0.3), and the association between knowledge versus practice was moderate (0.3-0.7). The majority of food handlers (92.5%) did not understand the value of thorough cooking and temperature control. About 53% of respondents acknowledged to never adequately reheating cooked meals, 5% did not see the significance of preventing cross-contamination and 5% were unsure.
conclusionsDespite the relatively positive knowledge, attitude and practice levels of the food handlers, safe food handling and hygiene practices, such as thorough cooking and temperature control, properly reheating cooked meals and taking precautions to prevent cross-contamination, require some emphasis.
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