FOOD HANDLING IN PLASTIC CONTAINERS: KNOWLEDGE ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES AMONG DOCTORS
Journal Title: National Journal of Research in Community Medicine - Year 2018, Vol 7, Issue 0
Abstract
Introduction: Plastic is everywhere in today’s lifestyle because it is cheaper, lighter, stronger, more durable and versatile. Day by day demand for plastics expected to increase to meet the increasing need of public. Plastics are indispensible materials in modern world and are boon to public health. In our routine life, plastic containers are widely used for storing food and drinks. These containers were made of chemicals like Bisphenol (BPA), phthalate and styrene which acts as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) affecting health. Real concern is how these non degradable plastics were handled and disposed. Methodology: Descriptive Cross-sectional study was done among 200 doctors (selected by simple random sampling method.) of a private medical college. A validated structured close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data on their general demographic details, knowledge, attitude and practice of food handling in plastic containers. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed by IBM SPSS 19.0. Results were given in percentages and categorical variables were analyzed by Chi Square Test. P<0.05 was taken as significant. Results: 200 doctors had participated in the study and the mean age of participants was 33.3 ± 9.1 year. 139 (69.5%) and 136 (68%) of the study participants were having good knowledge and good practice about food handling in plastic containers respectively. 99% of the participants willing to use ecofriendly substitutes for plastics. Statistical significant association (p<0.05) between variables like gender (males) and marital status (unmarried) with knowledge was found. Also significant association between gender (male) and good practice was established. Conclusion: Many ill health effects reported to occur due to plastics. It is practically impossible to avoid plastics completely, but it is possible to health educate people and improve quality of life either by selecting good quality plastic or any other alternative ecofriendly containers, thus reducing development of health risks.
Authors and Affiliations
Sriram RM, Sowmiya KR, Gopi Krishna S, Balaji Arumugam
Keywords
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- EP ID EP529006
- DOI 10.26727/NJRCM.2018.7.3i.15
- Views 94
- Downloads 1
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