The purpose of this study was to investigate middle school students` perceptions on foodborne illness prevention in relation to their personal hygiene practices. The survey was administered in July, 2007 at one middle school, with a total of 390 students participating. The self-completed questionnaire consisted of several questions regarding the students` awareness of foodborne illness, perceptions of foodborne illness prevention, and personal hygiene practices. T-tests were used to identify the differences in their perceptions of foodborne illness prevention based on gender and Chi square tests were used to identify the relationships between their perceptions of foodborne illness prevention and personal hygiene practices. Eight percent of the respondents experienced foodborne illness at least once a year and 33.8% of them have stopped eating certain foods due to anxiety towards foodborne illness. The students perceived school foods (26.0%) and street foods(17.9%) as the main sources of foodborne illness, and dairy products(20.0%) and fresh fish (19.7%) were considered foods having the greatest potential for causing foodborne illness. Many students were aware of Escherichia coli O157(43.1%) and Hepatitis A(23.3%), but only a few recognized Clostridium botulinum(4.1%) and Salmonella(7.9%), even though these are major foodborne illness-causing pathogens. The students considered foodborne illness prevention very important(mean = 4.33); also, the results showed that many washed their hands 3-4 times (34.1%) and 5-6 times(29.2%) per day. Hand washing frequency was significantly related to the perceived importance of personal hygiene practice as well as to education on safety and sanitation. However, the students` perception on the importance of personal hygiene practices were not significantly different based on having received safety and sanitation education. Ultimately, these results will be used to develop guidelines for effective education on safety and sanitation.