Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior of Housewives in Using Styrofoam Packaging in West Jakarta

Polystyrene foam or Styrofoam are widely selected as food packaging because they are able to maintain temperature of food, comfortably held, retain the freshness and integrity of the packaged, light, and inert food to the acidity of the food. However, the Styrofoam packaging has the disadvantages of transferring monomers and plastic materials into foods that are affected by temperature, contact time, and type of food. Foods and beverages containing alcohol or acids can also speed up the transfer of chemicals in the use of food packaging. Laboratory test results of the Indonesia National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BP-POM RI) showed that 17 types of Styrofoam food containers are safe to use or qualify, but the logo in the Styrofoam product is very important. In addition, temperature, type of food, and length of contact with the container also need to be considered because it can produce a styrene monomer residue. If the styrene monomer residue is > 5000 mg/l, it can cause cancer. This study aims to know the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of housewives in the use of Styrofoam. The design is cross-sectional with purposive sampling. The study was conducted during January–March with a sample of 100 housewives in Guji Village, Kebun Jeruk, West Jakarta. The results showed that therewas a significant correlation between attitude (p = 0.044) and media exposure (p = 0.041) with the behavior using Styrofoam packaging. Therefore, it is necessary to socialize and educate the housewives about food packaging security, especially the proper way of using Styrofoam. Keywords: Styrofoam, food packaging, styrene, food safet