Food safety knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices of street-cooked food handlers in North Dayi District, Ghana

Abstract

Background Food safety and hygiene are currently a global health apprehension especially in unindustrialized countries as a result of increasing food-borne diseases (FBDs) and accompanying deaths. This study aimed at assessing knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices (KAP) of food safety among street-cooked food handlers (SCFHs) in North Dayi District, Ghana. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on 407 SCFHs in North Dayi District, Ghana. The World Health Organization’s Five Keys to Safer Food for food handlers and a pretested structured questionnaire were adapted for data collection among stationary SCFHs along principal streets. Significant parameters such as educational status, average monthly income, registered SCFHs, and food safety training course were used in bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models to calculate the power of the relationships observed. Results The majority 84.3% of SCFHs were female and 56.0% had not attended a food safety training course. This study showed that 67.3%, 58.2%, and 62.9% of SCFHs had good levels of KAP of food safety, respectively. About 87.2% showed a good attitude of separating uncooked and prepared meal before storage. Good knowledge of food safety was 2 times higher among registered SCFHs compared to unregistered [cOR=1.64, p=0.032]. SCFHs with secondary education were 4 times good at hygiene practices of food safety likened to no education [aOR=4.06, p=0.003]. Above GHc1500 average monthly income earners were 5 times good at hygiene practices of food safety compared to below GHc500 [aOR=4.89, p=0.006]. Registered SCFHs were 8 times good at hygiene practice of food safety compared to unregistered [aOR=7.50, p<0.001]. The odd for good hygiene practice of food safety was 6 times found among SCFHs who had training on food safety courses likened to those who had not [aOR=5.97, p<0.001]. Conclusions Over half of the SCFHs had good levels of KAP of food safety. Registering as SCFH was significantly associated with good knowledge and hygiene practices of food safety. Therefore, our results may present an imperative foundation for design to increase food safety and hygiene practice in the district, region, and beyond.

Hygienic Food Handling Practices and Associated Factors Among Food Handlers in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In the current study, having formal education had increased hygienic food handling practices of food handlers, which is consistent with the study conducted by Dagne et al 38 and Tuglo et al 40 This maybe expressed as the higher the education level of food handlers, the more likely to perform good hygienic food handling practices. But, other study in Ghana found that food handlers with a low level educational status were more likely to have hygienic food handling practices than those with a higher educational status, contrary to our findings.…”

“…Food handlers who received food safety training were 5.38 times more likely to gain experience with hygienic food handling practices than those who did not. The findings of research conducted in Ethiopia 38 , 39 and Ghana 40 support this conclusion. This could be because food handlers who did receive food safety training may have the necessary knowledge and experience because they may have received professional advice during training 41 in terms of food hygiene as well as transmission and prevention of foodborne diseases.…”

Self-Reported Food Safety Practices and Associated Factors Among Health Extension Model and Non-Model Households in Northeastern Ethiopia: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

“…The multivariable logistic regression results showed that being a model household head (having received safety training) was a strong predictor of good food safety practices, which showed that the odds of performing good food safety practices among model household heads was 2.99 times higher compared to their counterparts. The result is corroborated by previous, similar studies, conducted in Debarq Town, 29 Gondar City, 7 Abobo district, 16 and Hawassa City, South Ethiopia, 25 Ghana, 33 Bangladesh, 34 Imo State, Nigeria, 27 and Saudi Arabia. 35 This could be explained by household heads who have received food safety training having a better understanding of safe food handling practices compared to household heads without food safety training.…”

Food Safety Characterization of Food Enterprises for Inclusive Nutrition Sensitive Value Chain Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. A Case Study of the Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Value Chain in Kenya

“…The factor that was associated with food safety KAP was the education level which was statistically significantly associated with poor food safety practice among OFSP processors. This results compares well with the study by (Tuglo et al, 2021) in North Dayi District, Ghana, who found that among street-cooked food handlers in Ghana, the food handlers with secondary education were 4 times good at hygiene practices of food safety likened to no education [aOR=4.06, p=0.003]. Another study in Kenya by (Malavi, 2017) also found the overall mean percentage scores of 81% for knowledge, attitude, practices and overall KAP.…”