THE EFFECT OF FOOD SAFETY TRAINING ON KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES (KAP) OF FOOD INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES: AN EVALUATION USING THE SOLOMON FOUR-GROUP EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Methods Study Design and Setting This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial employing a Solomon four-group experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of a food safety training program. The study was conducted among food industry employees working in municipal social facilities. The Solomon four-group design was selected to assess the true effect of the intervention while controlling for potential pretest sensitization bias, thereby strengthening both internal and external validity.

Participants and Sample Size A total of 278 food industry employees working in municipal facilities were assessed for eligibility. Sample size calculation was performed using the Epi Info software based on an assumed food safety training prevalence of 85.9%, derived from previous studies, with a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence interval. The minimum required sample size was calculated as 186 participants. To account for potential data loss, this number was increased by 10%, resulting in a final target sample size of 200 participants.

Eligible participants were adults aged 18 years or older, employed in the food sector, and possessing at least basic literacy skills. Individuals who declined participation or had communication barriers were excluded from the study.

Reasons for exclusion and participant flow throughout the study are presented in Figure 1.

Randomization and Group Allocation Following eligibility assessment and informed consent, 200 participants were randomly allocated into four groups using a random numbers table, with 50 participants assigned to each group. The randomization process, group allocation, intervention exposure, follow-up, and final analysis numbers are summarized in Figure 1.