Knowledge and Perception of Genetically Modified Foods among Agricultural workers in Jos Metropolis, Plateau State

Abstract

Background: Genetically modified foods are agricultural products with specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques so as to favour the production of a desired biological product. Knowledge of genetically modified foods among agricultural workers remains largely unknown in our environment. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and perception of these products among agricultural workers in Jos.
Methods: This was a cross sectional study using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Respondents were selected through stratified sampling technique. Data collected were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 software. Knowledge and perception of genetically modified foods were scored. Factors influencing the observed knowledge and perception were also assessed and a p value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 41.9 ± 8.6 years with 66.1% of them being males. One hundred and sixty five (94.8%) had tertiary education and the median years of work experience was 12 years (interquartile range 6.0-20.3). There was good knowledge and perception of genetically modified foods in 48.3% and 29.9% of the respondents respectively. Statistically significant associations were found between the length of work experience and both knowledge (p=0.039) and perception (p=0.011) of genetically modified foods.
Conclusion: Both the knowledge and perception of genetically modified foods were low. Duration of work significantly influenced both knowledge and perception of genetically modified foods. It is recommended that agricultural institutions improve the knowledge of their workers on genetically modified foods by regular and continuous training.