Conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre higiene de alimentos en padres de familia de niños menores de 5 años que asisten al Centro de Salud Tandacatu y a la Fundación Hogar Nueva Esperanza. Cuenca, en el periodo junio-noviembre 2021

Abstract

Introduction: Microbiological contamination of food is one of the main causes of childhood diarrhea. Prevention is one of the ways to avoid the development of diarrhea episodes due to poor food handling, in addition to being able to encourage food education promoting good practices and habits in parents and that this influences the overall health of children. Objetive: To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices on food hygiene in parents of children under 5 years of age in the selected centers. Methodology: Descriptive-cross-sectional study in 109 participants, where the previously validated survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Hygiene Practices was applied. Results: 74.31% of the participants had knowledge of food hygiene, 82.56% had positive attitudes towards food hygiene, and only 18.4% had adequate hygiene practices, while 81,64 % had inadequate hygiene practices. Finally, there was a direct relationship between the rural area and a higher incidence of poor hygiene practices. Conclusion: Although parents have good knowledge and a positive attitude towards food hygiene, they do not have good hygiene practices