Safe preparation of food and its influencing actors among families in Guangzhou city

Objective To examine the status of safe preparation of food and its influencing factors among families in Guangzhou city.Methods One school was selected randomly from each of five urban districts in Guangzhou and four or five classes were sampled randomly from every school.The questionaires were distributed to the students of the classes selected and filled by the food processor in the students' family.SPSS 17.0 was used in data analysis.Results Totally 1 050 questionnaires were distributed and 1 006 eligible questionnaires were collected.The total score of safe food preparation was 15 and the median was 9.The scores for the food processors of different gender(Z=4.594,P=0.000),age(χ²=16.790,P=0.001),education(χ²=16.967,P=0.002),medical background(Z=2.426,P=0.015),and income of the family(χ²=21.389,P=0.000) were significantly different.Only 46.1%(464/1 006) of the subjects washed their hands in adequate frequency and correct way and 22.4%(225/1 006) sanitized the equipment and protected the kitchen area and food from insects and pests.There were 25.2%(254/1 006) of the subjects using separate knives and cutting boards for handling raw and cooked food and 58.3%(255/1 006) cooking food thoroughly.Only 53.0%(533/1 006) of the subjects kept the food at safe temperature.The results of multivariate logistic regression showed that factors significantly related to safe food preparation were gender,income of the family,knowledge,attitude,and desire for safe food preparation.Conclusion The education on knowledge and practice about safe food preparation should be implemented in Guangzhou city,especially for the residents with low education level,low income,and male.