Table 5.
The frequency of knowledge scores for food-borne diseases transmission, personal hygiene, and food contamination of food handlers in Kenyan high school kitchens (% and the number of respondents in brackets).
| Knowledge Constructs | Transmission of Food-Borne Diseases Statements | Agree % | Disagree % | I Don’t Know % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission of food-borne diseases | Well-cooked foods do not have germs | 68 (139) | 32 (65) | |
| Cholera can be spread through food | 77 (156) | 24 (48) | ||
| Healthy people can cause illness by carrying germs to food | 67 (137) | 33 (67) | ||
| Vegetables and raw salads may be a media for transmitting harmful microbes | 90 (184) | 10 (20) | ||
| The HIV virus can be spread through food | 29 (60) | 63 (129) | 3 (5) | |
| You can tell if food is unfit for consumption by smell, taste, and look | 93 (189) | 3 (5) | 3 (5) | |
| Food prepared too long in advance might give microbes time to grow | 62 (126) | 40 (63) | 5 (10) | |
| Fresh meat always has microbes on the surface | 72 (147) | 20 (41) | 8 (16) | |
| Food transmission diseases | 74 | 32 (65) | ||
| Personal health and hygiene statements | Agree % | Disagree% | I don’t know % | |
| Personal health and hygiene | Hands can be washed with water alone before handling raw meat | 17 (35) | 80 (164) | 3 (5) |
| You can prepare food with a wound on your hand if the wound is covered with a bandage | 63 (128) | 37 (76) | ||
| It is not necessary to wash hands so as to handle food that is already cooked | 15 (31) | 85 (173) | ||
| Hands should be properly washed after sneezing or blowing your nose | 93 (189) | 7 (15) | ||
| Wearing gloves while handling food protects food service staff from infection | 35 (72) | 46 (97) | 17 (35) | |
| After using the bathroom, hands can be washed in the kitchen sink | 37 (75) | 63 (129) | ||
| You should always change your foot wear when you leave the kitchen and go out | 53 (108) | 42 (85) | 3 (5) | |
| Do you always check the use-by dates of food before using them? | 90 (184) | 7 (15) | 3 (5) | |
| Do you wear a cap or chef’s hat when touching or distributing foods to learners? | 48 (100) | 52 (104) | ||
| Does the school provide you with an adequate food-handling uniform? | 79 (162) | 21 (42) | ||
| Personal health and hygiene | 70 | |||
| Food contamination statements | Agree % | Disagree % | I don’t know % | |
| Food contamination | Foods prepared with many steps increases handling and the possibility of food contamination | 73 (149) | 27 (55) | |
| Food preparation surfaces can contaminate food | 83 (169) | 17 (35) | ||
| Food-borne diseases can result from storing raw meat and cooked foods in the same refrigerator | 82 (168) | 18 (36) | ||
| Ready-to-eat foods can be prepared on the same cutting boards that were used to prepare meat | 36 (73) | 64 (131) | ||
| Foods can be contaminated with microbes by coming in to contact with unsafe foods | 93 (189) | 8 (15) | ||
| Meat cutting boards, slicers, and knives should always be sterilized after use | 85 (174) | 15 (30) | ||
| Food Contamination | 80 |