Introduction: Food safety remains a critical public health concern, particularly among school children, as evidenced by escalating instances of foodborne illnesses globally. Despite various efforts, there is a need to assess and enhance knowledge about food safety practices among secondary school students. This study aims to assess the food safety knowledge of secondary school students in the East Coast of Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a secondary school in Kelantan, East Coast, Malaysia. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire involving 82 students aged 13 to 17 years. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic information, food safety knowledge, and hygiene practices. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, employing descriptive statistics. Results: The study revealed varying levels of food safety knowledge among students. While many demonstrated awareness of certain practices, gaps existed, particularly in recognizing symptoms of food poisoning. Fast food restaurants were identified as the most common locations for students. The majority recognized preventive measures but exhibited misconceptions in certain areas, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive education. The findings highlight the critical role of students as both consumers and potential future food handlers. The study aligns with global concerns regarding foodborne illnesses, highlighting the imperative for systematic and targeted food safety education for this age group and stressing the significance of promptly recognizing and addressing symptoms of foodpoisoning. Conclusion: The results provide valuable insights for public health practitioners, educators, and policymakers to develop effective strategies for preventing foodborne illnesses in schools and promoting a culture of food safety.

Introduction: Food poisoning is a significant issue that has garnered attention in the realm of public health. Given the recent documentation of multiple outbreaks associated with food poisoning, it is imperative to prioritise the education surrounding this issue over other food and waterborne diseases. Materials and methods: The content for the food poisoning prevention educational module, 'See, Select, Tell', was developed through a comprehensive review of existing literature and careful analysis of relevant documents. The validation of both the face and content of the study was confirmed by experts in the field. The module was implemented using Google Classroom, an online platform for blended learning. The study aimed to assess the usability of the module through a pre- and post-experimental design to measure its effectiveness. Additionally, feedback from consumers was collected to evaluate the overall usefulness of the module. Results: The developed module elements were acceptable based on the experts’ validation (coefficient validity > 0.7). The module efficiency was tested, and there was a significant increase in knowledge scores in both the intervention and control group after 4 weeks’ intervention (t (29) = 9.95, p= <0.001, d = 1.82 and t (29) = 20.76, p = <0.001, d = 3.79 respectively). The attitude scores increased significantly from 57.47 (9.28) to 61.97 (10.0) in the intervention group after 4 weeks of module implementation (p= 0.019). Conclusion: The module could potentially serve as a valuable tool for health educators, enabling them to effectively educate and inspire the public to make informed decisions regarding healthy food choices and maintaining clean food preparation areas. This, in turn, has the potential to contribute to the prevention of food poisoning outbreaks in Malaysia

Introduction: This paper aims to investigate consumer knowledge, attitude, risk perceptions and environmental assessment of food safety and their direct effects on food poisoning preventive behaviour. Consumers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the food they consume, particularly when it comes to cooked food that is sold to them. Therefore, understanding consumers' knowledge, attitude, risk perceptions, and food safety environmental assessment is crucial in influencing their behaviour to prevent food poisoning. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 430 consumers aged 18 years and above around Ampang areas in Selangor using a validated Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Perception and Environment (KAP2E) questionnaire. The questionnaires were self-administered among consumers and information on sociodemographic, food poisoning knowledge, attitude, risk perceptions and food safety environmental assessment were gathered. We used PLS-SEM to establish the relationship between the constructs under investigation. Results: The evaluation of the structural model indicates that knowledge, attitude, risk perceptions, and food safety environmental assessment account for 22.1% of preventive food poisoning preventive behaviour. Attitude was the strongest predictor (β= 0.381, p< 0.05) among other constructs. This study confirmed that food poisoning knowledge have positive impact on consumer’s attitude (R2 = 0.053).Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of incorporating consumer risk perceptions and food safety environmental assessment into food safety education. By enhancing consumers' knowledge and attitude towards food poisoning prevention, we can ensure the effectiveness of these educational efforts. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (2024) 20(6): 257-269. doi:10.47836/mjmhs20.6.34