Outcome and acceptability of an educational intervention programme on food-borne diseases and food safety behaviour for food handlers and related sectors in Sri Lanka

摘要

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention carried out to improve the awareness of food-borne diseases (FBDs) and food safety behaviour among selected target groups in Southern Sri Lanka and found out the perceptions of theparticipants on the usefulness of the programme. The intervention was an interactive teaching-learning programme for 60 participants. Their awareness on FBDs and food safety was evaluated before and after the intervention using a 25-item questionnaire.The feedback on the programme was obtained in an unstructured format. Pre- and post-intervention scores for the questionnaire were compared in 49 participants who completed both, using paired t-test. Mean score of knowledge had significantly increased after the intervention {17.6(SD±3.3) Vs. 20.9(SD±1.6); p=0.001}. Participants indicated the importance of continuation of the programme and expanding the coverage. Intervention was effective in improving the overall awareness on FBDs and food safety andacceptability of the intervention was satisfactory.