Food Allergy Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Restaurant Employees in İstanbul, Turkey

Year 2020, Volume: 18 Issue: 2, 125 - 134, 27.06.2020

Merih Tatlı Aylin Akoğlu

https://doi.org/10.24323/akademik-gida.758812

Cited By: 3

Abstract

With the significant increase in fatal cases of allergic reactions, the issue of food allergy has attracted the attention of authorities, particularly food allergy competence and practices among food handlers. The purpose of this study is to determine food allergy knowledge, attitude, and practices among restaurant employees in Istanbul, Turkey. This observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 490 restaurant employees included restaurant managers, cooks and service workers. The questionnaire used in this study was developed by researchers based on previous studies. The mean knowledge score for participants was 41.74±20.27, the attitude score was 69.42±2.42 and the practice score was 75.26±13.1. According to these results, the level of food allergy knowledge and attitude of the restaurant employees were ‘moderate’ and the practice level was evaluated as ‘low risk practice’. It was found that only 22.9% of the participants attended food allergy training and only 26.9% stated that they could provide appropriate service in order to prevent food allergy. The knowledge (47.45±20.77) and practice (82.02±10.06) scores of the participants receiving food allergy training were statistically higher than those not receiving food allergy training (39.99±19.80 and 73.25±13.23, respectively; p<0.05). A significant weak positive correlation was observed between knowledge with attitude (r=0.12, p<0.05), knowledge with practice (r=0.39, p<0.05) and attitude with practice (r=0.25, p<0.05). This study is very important since it is the first comprehensive study conducted to measure the level of food allergy knowledge, attitude, and practices of restaurant employees in Turkey. Understanding the knowledge, attitude, and practices of restaurant employees on food allergies may help managers to plan the most appropriate policies and training for their employees.

Keywords

Food allergy, Food safety, Restaurant employees, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice

Thanks

Authors are thankful for the restaurant employees who participated in this research study. This study was a part of Master Thesis of Merih Tatlı (Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, Bolu, Turkey).

İstanbul’daki Restoran Çalışanlarının Gıda Alerjisi Bilgi, Tutum ve Uygulamaları

Abstract

Alerjik reaksiyonlardaki ölümcül vakaların sayısının artışıyla birlikte gıda alerjisi konusu, özellikle gıda çalışanlarının gıda alerjisi konusundaki yeterliliği ve uygulamaları, yetkililerin dikkatini çekmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı İstanbul’daki restoran çalışanlarının gıda alerjisi bilgi, tutum ve uygulamalarını belirlemektir. Bu gözlemsel kesitsel çalışma yönetici, aşçı ve servis personelini içeren 490 restoran çalışanı arasında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada kullanılan anket daha önce yapılmış çalışmalar esas alınarak araştırıcılar tarafından geliştirilmiştir. Yapılan analizler sonucunda katılımcıların ortalama bilgi puanı 41.74±20.27, tutum puanı 69.42±2.41 ve uygulama puanı 75.26±13.1 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Bu sonuçlara göre, restoran çalışanlarının gıda alerjisi bilgi ve tutum puanları “orta”, uygulama puanı ise “düşük riskli uygulama” olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Katılımcıların sadece %22.9'u gıda alerjisi eğitimi aldığını ve sadece % 26.9'u gıda alerjisini önlemek için uygun hizmet sağlayabileceklerini belirtmişlerdir. Gıda alerjisi eğitimi alan katılımcıların bilgi (47.45±20.77) ve uygulama (82.02±10.06) puanlarının gıda alerjisi eğitimi almayanlara göre (sırasıyla 39.99±19.80 ve 73.25±13.23) istatistiksel olarak daha yüksek (p<0.05) olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bilgi, tutum ve uygulama arasındaki ilişkiye bakıldığında; bilgi ve tutum (r=0.12, p<0.05), bilgi ve uygulama (r=0.39, p<0.05) ve uygulama ile tutum (r=0.25, p<0.05) arasında anlamlı ve pozitif zayıf korelasyon olduğu görülmüştür. Bu çalışma, Türkiye'deki restoran çalışanlarının gıda alerjisi bilgi, tutum ve uygulamalarını ölçen ilk kapsamlı çalışma olması nedeniyle oldukça önemlidir. Restoran çalışanlarının gıda alerjisi konusundaki bilgi, tutum ve uygulamalarını anlamak, yöneticilerin çalışanları için en uygun politika ve eğitimleri planlamasına yardımcı olabilecektir.

Keywords

Gıda alerjisi, Gıda güvenliği, Restoran çalışanları, Bilgi, Tutum, Uygulama

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