Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Safety and the Acceptance of Engineering Controls Among Street Food Handlers in Pagoh Higher Education Hub
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Street food is important in the daily life of academic communities within higher education hubs, such as the Pagoh Higher Education Hub. However, open-air food stalls can create health and hygiene risks. This study examined the food safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of 52 street food vendors at a local night market and their acceptance of a new handwashing station design. Results of descriptive analysis showed very high food safety knowledge (mean = 4.57), positive attitudes (mean = 4.50), and good self-reported practices (mean = 4.69). However, observations at the stalls found several hygiene problems, including mixing raw and cooked food, handling money and food without washing hands, and a lack of proper handwashing facilities. Normality testing verified a significantly non-normal dataset (p < 0.001). The Spearman’s Rank Correlation results found very weak and non-significant relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and practices. To improve hygiene, a portable handwashing station was designed using SolidWorks and 3D-printed with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) material. The design included two water tanks and a foot-pedal system to reduce hand contact. Vendors showed strong acceptance of the new design (mean = 4.49), demonstrating its potential to support better sanitation and safer food handling practices in street food markets.
Institution: Tun Hussein Onn University of Malaysia
Language: English
Topic: Food Safety and Hygiene
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225492182