(P17-010-23) Effectiveness of Food Safety Education Sessions To Improve the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Low-Income Households in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of food safety education sessions in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and practices among low-income households in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Methods: Eighteen participants from a low-income community with children aged under 5 were recruited after signing informed consent. A food safety FAO questionnaire about Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices was applied before and after the educational interventions. Responses were analyzed on RStudio software using the McNemar test, considering significant a p-value < 0.1. Education interventions addressing the knowledge gaps, and negative attitudes and practices found in the first survey were given.

Results: After the theoretical education and practical workshop intervention regarding the Five Keys to Safer Food, participants improved their knowledge by 13.14%, attitudes by 9.75%, and practices by 25.52%. Participants had a significant improvement in their knowledge about washing fruits and vegetables before eating them (p=0.0055). And a significant practice improvement in how they stored meat, poultry, fish, milk, and cheese (p=0.0412).

Conclusions: The education interventions were successful to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding food safety of the participants. The adoption of the Safe Recipe model was proposed for future interventions.

Funding Sources: ESPOL and Fundación Unidos