Ma Xingming, Bo Li, Zhou Xinmiao
School of Health Management, Xihua University, Chengdu, China.
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu, China.
Front Public Health. 2024 Dec 17;12:1435486. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1435486. eCollection 2024.
More than 200 diseases are caused by eating food contaminated and the burden of foodborne disease is considered to be high worldwide. Foodborne diseases are an important public health issue, and the knowledge, attitudes and practices among college students are crucial in preventing outbreaks.
This study aimed to evaluate the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward foodborne diseases among Chinese college students and to identify the factors influencing practice actions.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to November in 2023. A cluster random sampling method was used to enroll participants at Xihua University. The questionnaire including 47 items was used to collect the foodborne diseases information. An offline questionnaire was used to generate the surveys. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the factors associated with foodborne disease knowledge, attitudes and practices.
A total of 445 college students with a mean age of 19.76 ± 1.24 years were included in the study. The majority of participants were female (59.1%), of Han Chinese (95.1%), and nearly two-thirds were lower-year undergraduates (66.7%). Most participants (78.9%) were non-medical students, and 64.7% of participants were from rural areas. The KAP score of foodborne diseases was 79.21 ± 6.84. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores toward foodborne diseases were 8.76 ± 0.95, 10.50 ± 1.63, and 59.94 ± 6.48, respectively. In particular, there was a notable decrease in practice scores toward foodborne diseases among male students, ethnic minority students, and non-medical students. The significant predictors of practices were included gender ( = 0.11, < 0.05), nationality ( = -0.12, < 0.05), specialization type ( = -0.13, < 0.05), residence ( = -0.11, < 0.05).
These results revealed gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding foodborne diseases, and the knowledge was at an insufficient level, the attitude was positive and practice was at a moderate and acceptable level. In general, the level of KAP was at a moderate and acceptable level. Gender, nationality, education level, specialization type, and residence were identified as crucial influencers on practices toward foodborne diseases. It is necessary to provide foodborne disease health education targeting this population in western areas, which can help improve students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
200多种疾病是由食用受污染食物引起的，食源性疾病负担在全球范围内被认为很高。食源性疾病是一个重要的公共卫生问题，大学生的知识、态度和行为对于预防疫情爆发至关重要。
本研究旨在评估中国大学生对食源性疾病的现有知识、态度和行为，并确定影响行为的因素。
于2023年4月至11月进行了一项横断面研究。采用整群随机抽样方法在西华大学招募参与者。使用包含47个条目的问卷收集食源性疾病信息。通过线下问卷进行调查。采用多元线性回归分析与食源性疾病知识、态度和行为相关的因素。
本研究共纳入445名大学生，平均年龄为19.76±1.24岁。大多数参与者为女性（59.1%），汉族（95.1%），近三分之二为低年级本科生（66.7%）。大多数参与者（78.9%）为非医学专业学生，64.7%的参与者来自农村地区。食源性疾病的知识、态度和行为得分分别为8.76±0.95、10.50±1.63和59.94±6.48。特别是，男生、少数民族学生和非医学专业学生在食源性疾病行为得分上有显著下降。行为的显著预测因素包括性别（β=0.11，P<0.05）、民族（β=-0.12，P<0.05）、专业类型（β=-0.13，P<0.05）、居住地（β=-0.11，P<0.05）。
这些结果揭示了关于食源性疾病的知识、态度和行为方面的差距，知识水平不足，态度积极，行为处于中等且可接受水平。总体而言，知识、态度和行为水平处于中等且可接受水平。性别、民族、教育水平、专业类型和居住地被确定为食源性疾病行为的关键影响因素。有必要针对西部地区的这一人群提供食源性疾病健康教育，这有助于提高学生的知识、态度和行为。
