Exploring food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nursing and medical students: Insights from a cross-sectional study in Bangladesh

This study focuses on nursing and medical students, assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding food safety. This non-random cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2022, with 1100 students (721 nursing and 379 medical) completing self-administered questionnaires. 949 (86.3%) of the respondents were female and 151 (13.7%) were male (mean age 20.90 ± 1.74). Nursing students outperformed medical students in food safety KAP scores (19.45 ± 3.19 vs. 19.13 ± 3.36), (10.61 ± 1.52 vs. 10.27 ± 1.80), and (46.96 ± 6.48 vs. 42.87 ± 6.49), with significant differences in food safety attitudes and practices (p < 0.05), as well as knowledge regarding personal hygiene, food preparation, cooking, foodborne pathogens, and cross-contamination (p < 0.05). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis revealed predictors of food safety knowledge, including age, residence, academic year, personal food poisoning experience, and familiarity with food safety authority (p < 0.05). Similarly, institutional context, gender, income, residential status, academic year, personal cooking habit, father's education level, and mother's education level had a substantial impact on the attitudes of students. Predictors of safe food handling practices encompassed institutional context, age, gender, family monthly income, residential status, academic year, father's education level, personal food poisoning experience, and familiarity with food safety authority (p < 0.05). These findings highlighted the need for targeted educational interventions to improve food safety KAP among nursing and medical students considering their forthcoming responsibilities as carers.