Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in relation to Mycotoxin Contamination in Tanzania
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Date
2024-03-16
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
East African Journal of Health and Science
Abstract
This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the population
in three districts in Tanzania on issues related to mycotoxin contamination and
exposure. The study employed a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using
a questionnaire survey, which was administered to gather quantitative data in 180
randomly selected households in three districts of Tanzania. In addition, qualitative
data were collected using key informant interviews (KIIs) of 12 purposively
selected respondents and 6 focus group discussions (FGDs) of six to twelve
participants. Quantitative data were analysed in SPSS version 20 for Windows
using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test. While the qualitative data were
analysed in ATLAS.ti 8 for Windows. A majority of respondents (25.1%) had never
heard of mycotoxins, 20.1% were not aware of how mycotoxins are acquired, and
none (0%) of the respondents claimed to never become sick after eating
moulded/contaminated crops. The majority, 14.5% and 2.8% of the respondents,
were not aware of prevention measures for animals and humans from mycotoxins,
respectively. Only 8.9% agree that they are at risk of getting mycotoxins, 14% agree
that it is safe to eat contaminated food, and 52.5% do not discard the mycotoxins
contaminated food. The majority, 81.6%, dry their crops on top of the floor or bare
grounds, almost 42.5% do not sort their crops before storage, and 28.5% agree to
consume the defective/sorted crops. Therefore, it is recommended that health
education interventions to create awareness among the public should be a priority
and should be integrated into the existing control strategies.
Description
This journal article was published by East African Journal of Health and Science in 2024