Relationship Between Food Handlers’ Knowledge and Attitudes with Food Hygiene and Sanitation Practices at Nutrition Provision Service Unit (SPPG) Sepinggan 4 Balikpapan

English

Abstract

Introduction: Food safety is essential to public health because food may transmit biological, chemical, and physical hazards. Despite a national target of zero incidents, food safety cases were still reported in Indonesia from October 2025 to January 2026. Objective: This study analyzed the relationship between food handlers’ knowledge and attitudes and hygiene-sanitation practices at the Sepinggan 4 Nutrition Service Unit, South Balikpapan. Method: An observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design involved all 45 personnel working in food processing, portioning, and tray washing using total sampling. Results and Discussion: Most respondents had moderate knowledge, totaling 44 people (97.8%), while 31 respondents (68.9%) had good attitudes. Statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between knowledge and hygiene-sanitation practices (p = 0.007) and between attitudes and hygiene-sanitation practices (p = 0.028). Conclusion: Food handlers’ knowledge and attitudes were significantly associated with hygiene-sanitation practices, highlighting the importance of strengthening food safety competence and behavior