Food safety knowledge and self-reported practices among adolescents in rural secondary schools in Nigeria

Severe foodborne disease outbreaks have occurred in different continents of the globe in recent decades, particularly due to ineffective food laws, regulatory systems and inadequate food handling knowledge among food handlers and consumers. The purpose of the present study was to assess the food safety knowledge and practices among secondary school students in rural parts of Kogi State, Nigeria.

A cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires was carried out between October and December, 2017. The study was carried out in two public secondary schools located in a rural area in Kogi State, North-central Nigeria. All consenting students in both schools were recruited for the study. Descriptive analysis and chi-square (χ²) tests were carried out using Statistical Package for Service Solutions v.20.

A total of 259 out of 300 survey questionnaires were completed and returned (86.33%). The mean age of the study participants was 15.9 ± 2.5 years. There were more males than females (55.2%, n = 143). The mean percent knowledge score was 75.79%. The mean percent practice score was 82.48%. More than half (n = 143, 55.2%) respondents had a good knowledge level, and 54.4% (n = 141) had a good practice level. A significant association was found only between food hygiene knowledge and mothers' education (χ² = 9.49, p = 0.023).

The overall food safety knowledge and practice among the secondary school students surveyed was good. Targeted educational interventions on food safety can be made to improve knowledge and practice of food hygiene among students.