KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE REGARDING FOOD AND PERSONAL HYGIENE AMONG RESTAURANT FOOD HANDLERS IN BAUCHI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, BAUCHI STATE
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of the study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding food and personal hygiene among restaurant food handlers in Bauchi L.G.A., Bauchi State, Nigeria. To achieve this purpose, eighteen research questions were formulated and nine null hypotheses postulated and tested for significance at .05 level. Quantitative data were collected from 185 food handlers using knowledge, attitude and practice regarding food and personal hygiene questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution percentages and means to answer the research questions while Chi-Square, ANOVA and t-Test was used to test the hypotheses. The findings of the study showed that the food handlers had very high knowledge of food and personal hygiene but possessed negative attitude regarding food and personal hygiene. The findings further indicated that the food handlers practice food and personal hygiene occationally. Restaurant food handlers’ knowledge of personal,food and restaurant hygiene was not dependent on their level of eduation,there is no significant difference in the responses of food handlers’ knowledge regarding personal,food and restaurant hygiene according to age and there is no significant difference in the responses of food handlers’knowledge of personal,food and restaurant hygiene based on location. Level of education had no significant influence on food handlers’ attitude regarding food and personal hygiene, age had no significant difference in the responses of food handlers attitude regarding personal, food and restaurant hygiene and there is no significant defference in the responses of food handlers’attitude regarding personal,food and restaurant hygiene based on location.Restaurant food handlers’ practices regarding personal, food and restaurant hygiene was not dependent on their level of education,there is no significant difference in the responses of food handlers’ practices regarding personal,food and restaurant hygiene according to age and there is no significant difference in the responses of food handlers’ practices regarding prersonal, food and restaurant hygiene based on location in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State. It was recommended, among others, that there was need to develop a more effective means of imparting social mobilization, sensitization to food handlers and the entire community on the needs and advantages of food and personal hygiene education to a great extent.