Knowledge and Attitude of Students in Shahroud University of Medical Sciences on Health and Food Safety

Background and objectives: Knowledge about health and food safety is important for disease prevention and protection of the environment from pollution. The present study investigated university students’ knowledge and attitude on health and food safety. Methods: The study was performed on 148 students from Shahroud University of Medical Sciences in 2017. The subjects were selected through simple random sampling. A valid and reliable questionnaire on knowledge and attitude towards health and food safety was used for collection of data. The data were analyzed by SPSS-16 software using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square test. In all tests, the level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Most students had moderate knowledge and good attitude about health and food safety. There was a significant relationship between level of education and attitude towards health and food safety (P=0.046). Conclusion: Knowledge on health and food safety is crucial for preventing contamination of foodstuff and reducing the risk of foodborne illness. The students in the Shahroud University of Medical Sciences have relatively good knowledge and attitude towards health and food safet