The primary goal of this research was to evaluate the food safety practices, attitudes, and knowledge of Jahangirnagar University students. Table 1 presents the distribution of participants based on their background characteristics, including age, gender, place of residence, education level, faculty, family type, income, living arrangements (with or without family), average number of study hours per week, and history of food poisoning. The majority of respondents (65.2%) were female, aligning with studies from Kampala and Indonesia, which also reported a higher proportion of female participants. Additionally, 80.4% of the respondents indicated that their families were nuclear, and 44.4% reported living in rural areas. Of the participants, 53.6% did not live with their family. Importantly, 57.6% of students reported having experienced food poisoning. Figure 1 shows the students’ perceptions of the age groups most at risk of food poisoning, with children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly identified as vulnerable. A small number of respondents selected the “Don’t know” option, indicating uncertainty.

Frequencies of the individuals most likely to get food poisoning

Table 2 evaluates the food handling attitudes and practices of the students, while Table 3 assesses their food safety knowledge. The findings revealed that 9.2% of students cook regularly, 42.8% cook occasionally, 34.8% cook rarely, and 13.2% never cook. When it comes to food safety practices, 52.8% of students reported washing knives with water after cutting raw meat or fish, 60.0% always check food expiration dates, and 32.4% store raw meat or fish on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Additionally, 63.2% of students heat leftover food until it boils, and 54.8% wash their hands for 10 to 20 s or longer using soap. However, 32.4% of students reported touching food while having a hand wound covered with a bandage, and 42.4% generally avoid handling food under such circumstances. These results provide insights into students’ food safety practices, highlighting areas of strength and potential risks.

The study findings reveal several important insights about food safety practices among Jahangirnagar University students. For example, 54.8% of students reported checking how food smells or looks before deciding what to do in the event of a power outage. In terms of food storage, 34% of students indicated that they store food in the refrigerator if someone is late for a meal and then reheat it later. Additionally, 39.2% of students determine whether food is properly cooked by tasting it or assessing its color, while 30.4% rely on cooking time. When it comes to handwashing before food preparation or eating, 63.2% use soap and wash with cold water, while 32.8% use only cold water.

Table 3 of the study highlights that, while Jahangirnagar University students generally possess a sufficient level of food safety knowledge, there is a clear need to further educate them on key topics such as aseptic practices, proper temperature control, preventing cross-contamination, and proper cooking techniques. Proper handwashing is emphasized as a critical practice, given that improper food handling is a major cause of many foodborne illnesses.

Children Adolescents Adults Old People Don’t know.

The study also found that students’ food safety behaviors correlate with their risk of food poisoning. Among the respondents, 25.6% of students who occasionally cook their own meals reported experiencing food poisoning, compared to just 5.6% of students who always cook or never cook. This suggests that students who cook occasionally may have lower awareness of food safety practices, making them more susceptible to foodborne illnesses. On the other hand, students who do not cook at all may rely on cafeteria food, which may offer different risks or food safety standards.

The study revealed that 46% of students living in nuclear families experienced food poisoning, compared to just 11.6% of those from joint families. This suggests that students in nuclear families may be more vulnerable to food safety risks, possibly due to differences in food handling practices or family dynamics.

The study also found that 29.2% of students who smelled or inspected food before taking action during a blackout experienced food poisoning, the highest incidence. In contrast, only 4.4% of students who discarded the food immediately reported food poisoning, indicating that immediate disposal may reduce the risk.

Food poisoning was more prevalent among students who believed food should be refrigerated for just 1–2 days (29.2%) compared to those who thought it should be stored for 5–7 days (2.0%). This discrepancy may reflect a gap between students’ knowledge of food safety and their actual food handling behaviors. Notably, students who stored raw meat or fish on the top shelf of the refrigerator were significantly more likely to suffer from food poisoning (22.4%) compared to those who stored it on the middle shelf (5.4%). Age also played a significant role in food poisoning risk. The 21–23 age group had the highest incidence of food poisoning (24.8%), while the 27–29 age group had the lowest (0.8%).

Bivariate analysis, shown in Table 4, revealed significant associations between predictors and food poisoning status. A Nagelkerke R-square value of 0.538 indicates that the predictors explain 53.8% of the variation in food poisoning incidence. The analysis found no significant multicollinearity issues, which would otherwise affect the accuracy of the results. Key predictors of food poisoning included the respondent’s education level, knowledge of safe food storage practices, handling of thawed food during blackouts, and understanding of how long leftovers should be refrigerated. Logistic regression revealed that second- and third-year students were 3.47 and 3.49 times more likely to experience food poisoning, respectively, compared to first-year students, suggesting that food safety awareness may decline as students’ progress through their studies.

Furthermore, from the results presented in Table 5, students who stored raw meat or fish on the bottom or middle shelves of the refrigerator, or who believed food could be stored anywhere in the fridge, were less likely to experience food poisoning (OR values between 0.078 and 0.336). Conversely, students who smelled or inspected food during a blackout (OR: 4.824) or refroze food (OR: 1.227) were more likely to suffer from foodborne illness. Finally, students who knew food should be refrigerated for 5–7 days (OR: 2.309) were more likely to experience food poisoning compared to those who believed food should be stored for only a day or two. Interestingly, those who answered “Don’t know” to the question of how long food should be refrigerated may not refrigerate food at all, potentially leading them to consume fresher, less-contaminated food. These findings emphasize the importance of education on proper food handling to promote healthier lifestyles and reduce foodborne illness.