title: Role of courtyard counselling meeting in improving household food safety knowledge and practices in Munshiganj district of Bangladesh.
abstract: Unsafe food is linked to the deaths of an estimated two million people annually. Food containing harmful agents is responsible for more than 200 diseases ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. A one-sample pilot intervention study was conducted to evaluate the role of courtyard counselling meetings as the means of intervention for improving food safety knowledge and practices among household food handlers in a district of Bangladesh. The study was conducted in three phases: a baseline survey, the intervention and an end-line survey between April and November 2015 where 194 food handlers took part. Data were collected through observations and face-to-face interviews. The mean age of the respondents was 38.8 (±12.4) years, all of whom were females. Hand washing before eating, and washing utensils with soap were significantly improved at the end-line in comparison to the baseline (57% vs. 40% and 83% vs. 69%, respectively). Hand washing with soap was increased by 4%. The mean score of food handling practices was significantly increased after the intervention (20.5 vs. 22.1; P<0.001). However, hand washing after use of toilet was unchanged after the intervention (75% vs.76%). Knowledge about safe food and the necessity of thorough cooking were significantly increased after the intervention (88% from 64% and 34% from 21%, respectively). Mean scores of knowledge and practice on food safety were significantly increased by 1.9 and 1.6, respectively after the one month intervention. Thus this food safety education in rural communities should be scaled up and, indeed, strengthened using the courtyard counselling meetings in Bangladesh.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM), Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Baizid Khoorshid
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Riaz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Public Health Nutrition, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Abdul
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alim
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Hospital Administration, NIPSOM, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Anm Shamsul
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Hospital Administration, NIPSOM, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Km Bayzid
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.affiliation: Health Economics Unit, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Mohammad Abul Bashar
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sarker
authors.affiliation: Telenor Health, Bangladesh, FAO-NIPSOM Food Safety Project, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Hospital Administration, NIPSOM, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Noor
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ashad-Uz-Zaman
authors.affiliation: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
authors.forename: Shahjada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selim
authors.affiliation: FAO-NIPSOM Food Safety Project, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Salman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quaiyum
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition & Biochemistry, NIPSOM, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Emdadul
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haque
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Programme, FAO-UN, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Shah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monir Hossain
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Programme, FAO-UN, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryder
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Programme, FAO-UN, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Rokeya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khanam
keywords: Bangladesh; courtyard counselling meeting; food safety knowledge; food safety practices; household food handler