IJCRRI Journ Cur Res ReInternational Journal of Current Research and ReviewI Journ Cur Res Re2231-21960975-5241Radiance Research Academy4602 https://doi.org/10.31782/IJCRR.2022.141802Healthcare Impact of COVID-19 Risk Communication on Knowledge and Mental Status of Food Handlers’: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Setting     PKarpagaVenkatesanNandithaKathimandaSahanaPadhyGouri KumariKumarMohan240920228)510This article is copyright of Popeye Publishing, 20092009This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.

Introduction: The mental health impact of COVID-19 among food handlers working in food establishments/canteens of Dedicated COVID Health Centers and Hospitals are unrecognized. Aim/Objectives: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted among all the food handlers working in food establishments/canteens of a tertiary care hospital in central India using a pre-designed, pre-tested proforma that included Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21). Results: Out of 76 study subjects, 9 (11.8%) had some form of mental illness; 7(9.2%) had depression, 3(3.9%) had anxiety and 1(1.3%) had stress. It was observed that study subjects traveling to the worksite in their own vehicle (OR=5.75, 95% CI=1.29- 25.72), difficulty with transport during lockdown (OR=14.75, 95%CI=3.07-70.92) and those with active complaints (OR=16.25, 95%CI=2.25-117.10) were at increased risk of some form of mental illness in comparison to their counterparts (p

COVID-19 Risk communication Food handlers Mental health Knowledge India