The Analysis of the Importance-Performance of the Flight Attendants’ Inflight Meal Hygiene Management

Objectives:The present study is aimed to provide fundamental data on hygiene management in inflight meal and sanitation training of flight attendants. Methods/Statistical analysis: An investigation was performed with 260 flight attendants on the importance and performance of hygiene management and the items that are required for series of procedures such as reheating, distribution and collection of leftover food to passengers during in-flight food service. Findings: The average scores of flight attendants on the importance and performance hygiene management in inflight meal were 4.42 and 3.79 out of 5 points, respectively. And there are significant differences in the overall importance and performance scores (P<0.01, P<0.001). The average score on importance and performance was the lowest for the kitchen hygiene area, and the difference between them was the greatest for the personal hygiene area among the 6 areas. An importance-performance analysis revealed that 14 out of a total of 24 items (58.3%) corresponded to Quadrant I that indicated above-average scores on importance and performance, while the item “having the experience of hygiene education” corresponded to Quadrant II that represented an above average importance and below average performance. Quadrant III represented below average scores on both importance and performance, which included 9 items (37.5%), whereas Quadrant IV that indicated below average importance and above average performance included no item. Application/Improvements: There is a need for the special and regular inflight meal related hygiene education and training that separated from service training in order to raise the importance and performance of individual hygiene by flight attendants.