The Impact of Knowledge on Pathogenic Meat-borne Parasites to Food Safety Practices of Tertiary Level Students in a University in Manila, Philippines

Abstract

Pathogenic meat-borne parasites have long been recognized as a leading public health concern worldwide. It is well-established that one of the most effective methods in preventing parasitic infection is through proper food safety practices. This study specifically aims to investigate the impact of knowledge about pathogenic meat-borne parasites on food practices. To test the hypothesis that knowledge of these parasites affects food safety practices, we distributed an online survey to selected undergraduate tertiary students in a university in Manila. Analyses carried out include Descriptive Statistics, Pearson Correlation, and Paired Samples T-test. The data revealed that the majority (59.80%) of respondents have an adequate level of knowledge based on Modified Bloom's cut-off point, wherein the internet and school were the two primary sources of information reported. It is also shown that the respondents’ have positive food safety and food handling practices (mean = 4.2317, SD = 0.85545). Overall, a weak positive correlation (r = 0.339, p < 0.001) was found between knowledge on meat-borne parasites and the current practice of food safety, showing that the two variables are directly related. It was also identified that there is a statistically significant difference between allied and non-allied health students on both their knowledge (p < 0.001) and practices (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that enhancing the knowledge and awareness of meat-borne parasites among tertiary students may facilitate proper habitual health behaviors and food safety practices, leading to decreased risk of meat-borne parasitic infections.