Ampuan Hj Said, A.N.
1,2, Andriske, X.P.
1& Button, P.D.
11 School of Applied Sciences (Discipline of Food Science), RMIT University; Melbourne, Australia
2 Ministry of Education, Government of Brunei Darussalam; Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam
Food safety knowledge and practices of
adolescents in Brunei Darussalam
Introduction
Cases of foodborne illnesses occur daily worldwide with Brunei Darussalam no exception. In recent reported cases of foodborne disease in Brunei Darussalam, the food safety practices of younger consumers were identified as a major cause. Most foodborne disease outbreaks occurred due to improper food preparation and improper storage of food (Ministry of Health, 2003). An understanding of the basic rules of food safety in the domestic environment is therefore vital for all age groups, to ensure correct practices in preparation and cooking of food are carried out. As a result, targeted education campaigns may be introduced to ensure correct food safety practices are followed from a younger age. As the first step, to acheving this, a food safety survey was conducted among adolescents to assess the levels of food safety knowledge and food safety behaviours in relation to age and gender.
Aim
To assess the food safety knowledge and food safety behaviour of young adolescents in Brunei Darussalam.
Materials and Methods
Subjects
A total of 216 secondary school students, 88 males and 128 females completed a domestic food safety survey. Respondents were in the 11-13 years, 14-16 years and 17-20 years.
Instrumentation
A domestic food safety survey included questionnaires which were divided into three sections, covering:
• Demographics
• Food safety knowledge
• Food safety behaviour and practices Data analysis
The data was analysed with the SPSS Software (version 11.5) to find the mean scores, standard deviations and p-values. Independent sample t-test was used to assess the difference between age and gender. Statistical significance was set at p <0.05.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the relevant officers at the Ministry of Education for granting permission to conduct the food safety survey among chosen secondary schools, the students who completed the questionnaires and the teachers involved in helping administer the questionnaires.
Key findings
(B) Food Safety Behaviour Questionnaires
Results and Discussion
Only a small percentage of respondents knew the correct method to defrost (Figure 1) and store raw meat (Figure 2). There were no significant differences between sex and between age groups. Females were better in cleaning and sanitising the kitchen after use than males - the practice improved in the older age groups (Figure 3). On the other hand, majority of respondents did not keep cooked food at the appropriate temperature (Figure 4). However, the adolescents from the 14-16 age group were better in keeping food at safe temperatures. It is clear that the food safety knowledge of adolescents in Brunei Darussalam was insufficient. Even if it is suitable, they practice incorrect behaviour in the kitchen, especially in preparing and storage of food. Thus, there is a need to educate them on domestic food safety rules. This would be critical to minimise microbiological food hazards, thus preventing outbreaks of foodborne disease (Haapala & Probart, 2004) – especially given their future roles as caregivers (Abbot et al., 2009).
Conclusion
The food safety knowledge and practices of Brunei Darussalam’s youth are putting them at a high risk of contracting a foodborne disease.
References
Abbot, J.M., Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Schaffner, D., Bruhn, C.M. and Blalock, L. (2009). Comparison of food safety cognitions and self-reported food-handling behaviours with observed food safety behaviours of young adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 572-579.
Haapala, I. and Probart, C. (2004). Food safety knowledge, perceptions and behaviours among middle school students. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour, 36, 71-76.
Ministry of Health (2003). Health Information Booklet. Statistics Unit, Research and Development Section, Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Never Sometimes Always Never Sometimes Always
Male Female
22.8
61.3
12.9
23.1
50
26.9
4.9
68.3
26.8 28.8
53
18.2 12.5
56.3
31.3
11.1
66.7
22.2
Perce
nt
ag
e
Gender Difference & Frequency of Practice
Figure 4: Percentage of respondents for Statement 22*
11-13 14-16 17-20
Age Group:
*Statement 22: I keep cooked food at 60 °C or above until served (Keeping Food at Safe Temperature)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Never Sometimes Always Never Sometimes Always
Male Female
12.9
48.3
38.7
11.5
38.5
50
7.3
61
31.7
6.1
50
43.9
12.5
62.5
25
2.8
44.4
52.8
Perce
nt
ag
e
Gender Difference and Frequency of Practice
Figure 3: Percentage of respondents for Statement 7*
11-13 14-16 17-20
Age Group:
*Statement 7: I clean and sanitise the kitchen tops and areas after I finish preparing and cooking food (Personal and Kitchen Hygiene)
0 5 10 15 20 25
11-13 14-16 17-20
22.6
24.4
12.5 15.4
21.2
8.3
Perce
nt
ag
e
Age Group
Figure 1: Percentage of correct answer for Question 3*
Male Female
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
11-13 14-16 17-20
12.9
19.5
6.3 3.8
9.1
11.1
Perce
ng
ta
ge
Age Group
Figure 2: Percentage of correct answer for Question 5*
Male Female
*Question 3: It is safe to defrost raw meat:
(a) in the refrigerator, (b) on the kitchen counter or (c) soaked in water.
*Question 5: In the fridge, it is safe to store raw meat covered properly on the: (a) top shelf, (b) middle shelf or (c) lower shelf.
