Abstract

Food borne diseases (FBDs) can occur due to the health status of the food handlers. The present study aimed to assess food hygiene knowledge, attitude and practices among hospital food handlers of ElManagil City, Sudan. A cross-sectional study was administered to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices, in food hygiene among hospital food handlers through a questionnaire. The food handlers expressed a level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of 70.1, 63.81 and 74.40%, respectively. The food handlers lacked knowledge regarding the transmission of hepatitis A virus and the working of infected food handler. They demonstrated poor attitude regarding the continuous evaluation of their health status, as well as the importance of training courses in the prevention of food contamination. They exhibited a low practice rate regarding removing nail polish and covering the head while preparing food. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing the educational level with washing the utensils with a detergent, along with wearing gloves while working. It was concluded that the hospitals food handlers in ElManagil expressed moderate level of knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice in food hygiene. Generally, there is an urgent need to improve on food hygiene in health care systems in Sudan. Food hygiene training programs should be implemented among health care food handlers.

Key words: Attitude, Elmanagil City, food handlers, food hygiene, hospitals, knowledge, practice.