Knowledge and Attitude of Consumers about Natural Food Toxins: A Case of Tertiary Students in the Volta Region of Ghana

• Main Authors: N.K. Kortei, P.Y. Atsugah, E. Letsyo, A. Abaka-Yawson, A.A. Boakye, C.O. Tettey, E.K. Essuman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences 2021-09-01
• Series: Journal of Food Quality and Hazards Control
• Subjects: knowledge; attitude; surveys and questionnaires; food; toxicology; ghana
• Online Access: http://jfqhc.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-813-en.html

Background: Natural Food Toxins (NFTs) are poisonous substances produced by the biological processes of living organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of tertiary students of the Volta Region of Ghana about NFTs. Methods: During March to June 2020, semi-structured questionnaires were used to examine knowledge and attitudes about NFTs among 252 tertiary students from various institutions of the Volta Region of Ghana. Data were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0. Results: A majority (90.48%) of students were aware of the NFTs. The male students showed significantly (p<0.05) greater knowledge than the females. Totally, 190 out of 252 (75.40%) respondents had prior-to-the-study knowledge about NFTs. Also, 245 out of 252 (97.22%) respondents desired to learn more about NFTs. Conclusion: From this study, it was observed that tertiary students from the various institutions in the Volta Region of Ghana had enough knowledge and attitude about NFTs; but there are still slight deficits in the knowledge of students about types of NFTs. Hence, there is a need for more sensitization of the subject among the students and throughout the general public. DOI: 10.18502/jfqhc.8.3.7196