Objective: To understand the status of knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) on food-borne parasitic diseases of college students, so as to provide the basis for the development of strategies on health education.
Methods: A total of 1,114 college students in Yangzhou Polytechnic College were selected through the randomly stratified cluster sampling method, and then were investigated by questionnaires to understand their KAP on food-borne parasitic diseases.
Results: The awareness rates on food-borne parasitic diseases and their harms were 42.2% and 41.7% respectively in these investigated students. The awareness rates of the students with different genders, ages, regions (in Jiangsu Province) and majors were significantly different (all P < 0.01), and those of the male, 17 to 19 years age group, being born in south Jiangsu and students with mechanical engineering major were relatively low. Except the 3 items namely not keeping pets at home (32.0%), cutting raw and cooked food separately (28.6%), and washing hands before meals (67.1%), the formation rates of health behaviors of the other 9 items were all ≥ 80.0%. In the formation rates of not eating drunken shrimps and crabs, not eating barbecued foods, not eating half-cooked food, not prefer seeking novelty, there were statistically significant differences among the students with different genders, ages, regions and majors (all P < 0.05), and the rates of the male, 21 to 23 years age group, being born in south Jiangsu and students with mechanical engineering were relatively low. The formation rate of right attitude of the students were ≥ 84.8%, and in the rates of right attitude on "would not eat the foods that might be infected with the food-borne parasites", "would suggest others not to eat the foods that might be infected with the food-borne parasites", and "would give up special preferences or bad habits", there were statistically significant differences among the students with different genders and majors (all P < 0.01), and the rates of the male and students with mechanical engineering major were relatively low.
Conclusions: The awareness rate of food-borne parasitic diseases of college students is relatively low , while the formation rates of health behaviors and right attitude are relatively high. So, the targeted, differentiated health education should be taken to improve their awareness of disease prevention and self-protection.