A cross-sectional study on food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE

PurposeThe aims of this study were to assess the food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE and test the association between their socio-demographic characteristics and food safety knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA non-probabilistic sample of 231 domestic workers who help familie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish food journal (1966) Vol. 124; no. 3; pp. 1009 - 1021
Main Authors Osaili, Tareq, Shaker Obaid, Reyad, Taha, Sadi, Kayyaal, Sofia, Ali, Rima, Osama, Manal, Alajmi, Refaa, Al-Nabulsi, Anas A, Olaimat, Amin, Hasan, Fayeza, Ayyash, Mutamed
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 08.02.2022
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects
Contamination
Cooking
Cross-sectional studies
Demographics
Females
Food contamination
Food contamination & poisoning
Food poisoning
Food safety
Households
Hygiene
Illnesses
Knowledge
Personal hygiene
Poisoning
Questionnaires
Safety
Safety engineering
Sociodemographics
Statistical analysis
Temperature control
Training
Personal hygiene
Cross-contamination
Cleaning and disinfection
Temperature abuse
Food poisoning
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Summary:PurposeThe aims of this study were to assess the food safety knowledge amongst domestic workers in the UAE and test the association between their socio-demographic characteristics and food safety knowledge.Design/methodology/approachA non-probabilistic sample of 231 domestic workers who help families in food preparation and/or cooking participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants completed a questionnaire composed of socio-demographic characteristics and four different aspects of food safety knowledge (personal hygiene, food poisoning, cross-contamination and temperature control).FindingsIt was observed that the domestic workers had inadequate knowledge about food safety with an overall food safety knowledge score of 32.9%. Total knowledge of “personal hygiene” and “cross-contamination” was relatively higher (46.2 and 43.9%, respectively) than that of “food poisoning” (18.1%) and “temperature control” (23.3%). A significant (P-value < 0.05) association was observed between overall food safety knowledge and marital status, age and education level, but not nationality of domestic workers (Asian or African).Originality/valueThe findings of this study are expected to encourage policy makers mandate food safety trainings for this segment of the population besides helping them in creating awareness and training programs regarding food safety.
ISSN:0007-070X
1758-4108
DOI:10.1108/BFJ-12-2020-1124