Aloha International Journal of Health Advancement (AIJHA) ISSN 2621-8224 Volume 2 Number 4, April 2019 http://journal.aloha.academy/index.php/aijha RESEARCH DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33846/aijha20403 87 | Publisher: Alliance of Health Activists (AloHA) The Effect of Extension with Audio Visual Method on The Improvement of Knowledge Levels and Attitude of The Use of Borax In The Making of Gendar Crackers in Family Households Dyah Suryani 1 , Wibowo 2 (corresponding author) 1 Faculty of Public Health, Ahmad Dahlan University Yogyakarta, Indonesia 2 Research and Development Center for Health Resources and Services, Ministry of Health Indonesia (wibowo869@yahoo.co.id) Submitted: January 12, 2019 -Revised: April 11, 2019 -Accepted: April 25, 2019 -Published: April 30, 2019 ABSTRACT Background: Food is one of the basic important of human needs. Since the mid-20 th century, the role of food additives, particularly preservatives are becoming increasingly important in line with advances in production technology of synthetic BTP (food additives). The use of BTP often adverse effects on health. Some of the causes were the use of non-organic materials due to economic reasons. The lower public's knowledge about quality and safety of food led to rampant cases of food poisoning. This compounded with various kinds of food additives (BTP) are derived from chemical products and its derivatives. Cracker was one of snack that much- loved by the majority of Indonesian people. On making of Crackers both the traditional and the modern are often added borax as a food additive that was felt to be more savory crackers and crunchy. This research aimed to examine the influence of counseling with audio-visual method on the improvement of knowledge and attitude of use borax on making gendar crackers family households in Kategan, Patalan, Jetis, Bantul, Special Region of Yogyakarta Province. Methods: This research used quasi experiment type with the design of one group pretest - posttest. The samples were housewives in the Kategan, Patalan, Jetis, Bantul. Results: There was a difference of housewife’s knowledge in Kategan on the use of borax on making gendar crackers between before and after counseling with audio-visual methods which seen by a mean value of 6.64 pre-test and 6.92 for post-test average with -1.238 as mean difference. Based on the results of Wilcoxon test obtained p-value of 0.216 (H0 was accepted). While the mean, obtained on the attitude of the pre-test of 10.28 and the mean of post-test of 11.19 with a mean difference of -2.018. The p-value was 0.044 (H0 was rejected). Conclusion: There was no effect of counseling with the use of audio-visual methods in use of borax on making gendar crackers on the knowledge. Whereas there was influence of counseling with the use of audio-visual methods in the use of borax on making gendar crackers on the attitude. Keywords: knowledge, attitudes, audio visual, borax INTRODUCTION Food is a basic human need. Generally, the processing did not require a complex level of technology and mastery of knowledge. Almost anyone can start a business or food industry. Food quality is the things that make a food product better and more delicious to eat in relation to taste, color, texture, and other quality criteria, such as choice, size, functional properties, and nutritional value and others. (1) The issue of food safety is a problem where food causes harm to consumers when it is prepared and consumed and it remains a public concern throughout the world. (2) Safe and healthy snacks define as snacks that are free from physical hazards, chemical contamination, and biological hazards. Quality snacks are generally determined based on taste, color, texture, and nutritional value. Taste and shape are important factors that influence consumer acceptance of food products. This is due to the fact that consumers always associate the color and taste of food with other qualities such as freshness, maturity, and food safety. (3) The use of Food Additives (BTP) or often referred to as food additives often has a negative impact on health. Some contributing factors are the use of material that is not actually for food, for economic reasons. For example, the use of textile dyes for food ingredients is because they are cheaper than food coloring and the lack of socialization about the dosage of benefits, and the dangers of incorrect use of additives. (4) The lower community knowledge about food quality and safety has led to widespread food poisoning. This is compounded by various types of food additives (BTP) sourced from chemical compound products and their derivatives. False practices have caused frequent chemicals that are prohibited from being used in food, such as formaldehyde, borax, and textile coloring into food. (5) Crackers are one of the most popular snacks among most of Indonesian people. Crackers are very diverse in shape, size, smell, color, taste, crispness, thickness, nutritional value and so on. This difference can be caused by the influence of the culture of the area producing crackers, raw materials and additional materials used and the tools and methods of processing. In general, the raw material used is tapioca flour, while other ingredients such as fish or shrimp, eggs, salt, sugar, water and seasonings (purified onions, shallots, coriander, etc.) are additional