scholarly journals Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis of Factors Influencing Food Safety, Hygiene Awareness and Practices Among Street Food Vendors in Kiambu County, Kenya.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 988-1000
Author(s):  
Johnson Mwove ◽  
Samuel Imathiu ◽  
Irene Orina ◽  
Paul Karanja
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Food Hygiene ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Health Inspection

Street food vending is a very popular and unique part of the informal sector, particularly in developing countries. However, the safety of street vended foods is a major public health concern since poor food safety and hygiene knowledge and practices are often reported among street food vendors (SFVs). The objective of this study was to identify the factors influencing food safety, hygiene awareness and practices (FSHAP) among SFVs in Kiambu County, Kenya. Structured questionnaires and an observation checklist were administered to randomly selected 345 SFVs. Results showed that good food safety and hygiene awareness scores were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by education level, food hygiene and safety training, mobility of SFVs, public health inspection, and the category of SFVs. Public health inspection was the only factor that significantly (P<0.05) influenced all FSHAP score categories. Mobile vendors were 1.86 and 2.20 times more likely to have poor working conditions and poor food handling practices scores compared to those who were not mobile, respectively. Training and education level significantly (P<0.01 and P <0.05, respectively) increased food safety and hygiene awareness score whereas the duration of time in street food vending significantly (P<0.05) improved food handling practice score. Public health inspection of SFVs was found to be the most effective way of improving FSHAP among SFVs. The study recommends regular inspections of SFVs by public health officials to enhance compliance with food hygiene and safety standards and regulations governing the street food sector as well as scheduled training on food safety and hygiene targeting all categories of street food vendors.

scholarly journals An Investigation Into How Far Do Residents Adopt Measures to Reduce Microbial Hazards During Food Handling

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 06-14
Author(s):  
Rajesh Jeewon ◽  
Seerauj Nouvishika ◽  
Dauharry Kumar ◽  
Ahinsa Jheelan-Ramchandur
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Food Hygiene ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Handling Practices ◽  
Food Handling Practices ◽  
The Impact

Foodborne diseases have always been linked to numerous food manufacturing elements and home practices of purchasers and the latter does play a critical role in disease prevention. Consumers have the ultimate responsibility for handling and storing food safely and take adequate safety precautions when preparing and consuming food at home to avoid health related problems associated with microbial hazards. The objectives of this survey were to evaluate current knowledge of consumers pertaining to food hygiene and food safety concepts as well as to assess food handling practices that residents adopt to reduce microbial hazards in the domestic environment. A sample of 300 Mauritian residents were selected to participate in a questionnaire based survey. Questions in the questionnaire were based on hygienic practices with respect to food handling, food safety and personal hygiene. SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) was used to analyze the results and Microsoft excel was used to generate pie charts, and bar charts. The results obtained demonstrated that the level of knowledge pertaining to food safety and food hygiene and how to reduce microbial hazards were above average. Majority of the residents were knowledgeable about major aspects related to proper food handling behaviors but need more education pertaining to the use of thermometers to check for food temperature. The nature of the risk, personal and environmental factors (psychological, demographic and socio-economic factors, cultural and economic) were found to be the factors affecting food safety behaviors among consumers. Consumers can become more motivated to improve their behaviors if they are made aware of the impact of risky practices. Although, most consumers had basic knowledge pertaining to food safety, food hygiene and food handling practices, it is important to continually inform consumers about safe food handling practices through various channels.

scholarly journals Assessment of Depression Severity During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Among the Palestinian Population: A Growing Concern and an Immediate Consideration

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamzeh Al Zabadi ◽  
Thair Alhroub ◽  
Noor Yaseen ◽  
Maryam Haj-Yahya
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Moderate Degree ◽  
Depression Severity ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Depression Prevalence ◽  
Normal Degree

Background: Aggressive quarantine and lockdown measures were implemented as protective public health actions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Assessing the psychological effects associated with these measures is an important attempt to inform local policymakers in an early stage. Yet little is known about these effects, specifically depression, among the Palestinians. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of depression among the Palestinian community during this pandemic.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey throughout social media (Facebook and Instagram) was carried out using an anonymous online questionnaire. The validated and standardized depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS) was used to measure depression severity. A snowball technique recruiting the general public living in Palestine was conducted. Data were collected between 6 and 16 April 2020, which corresponded to the middle interval of strict massive lockdown in Palestine on 22 March to 5 May 2020. Multinomial logistic regression model was developed to predict depression severity.Results: About 2,819 respondents filled out the questionnaire. Depression prevalence was (57.5%; n = 1,621). Out of them, 66% had mild/moderate severity, and 34% had severe/extremely severe degree. Depression severity was negatively associated with age {mild/moderate degree [OR (95% CI) = 0.98 (0.97–0.99)] and severe/extremely severe [OR (95% CI) = 0.96 (0.94–0.97)]} degrees compared with normal degree. Males were significantly less likely to have higher depression than females {mild/moderate degree [OR (95% CI) = 0.69 (0.57–0.85)] and severe/extremely severe [OR (95% CI) = 0.52 (0.40–0.86)]} degree. However, those who reported having inadequate food supply and lesser monthly incomes were more likely to have a higher degree of depression as compared with normal degree. Single persons were significantly more likely to have mild/moderate depression than those in a relationship [OR (95% CI) = 1.31 (1.05–1.64)].Conclusions: High depression prevalence (57.5%) among the Palestinian community during the COVID-19 pandemic is a growing public health concern. It is essential to provide psychological counseling and treatment during and after the pandemic for the targeted people at high risk (young age/female gender) who were affected psychologically. Strategic long-term policy to address pandemic ramifications, including depression, by implementing comprehensive interventions taking into account socioeconomic disparities, vulnerability, and inequities, is crucial to emerge from this crisis in Palestine.

scholarly journals Knowledge on Food Safety and Food-Handling Practices of Street Food Vendors in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Addo-Tham ◽  
Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong ◽  
Hasehni Vampere ◽  
Emmanuel Acquah-Gyan ◽  
Adjei Gyimah Akwasi
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Cooked Food ◽  
Handling Practices ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
Food Handling Practices

Street foods have become a major source of cooked food for most households and individuals in many developing countries including Ghana. However, the rising concern about food-borne illness has questioned the knowledge of the street food vendors to constitute safety practices for food handling. This study assessed the knowledge of street food vendors on food safety and food-handling practices in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana. The study used a cross-sectional mixed approach involving 340 participants selected by simple random sampling. A structured questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to collect data and analyzed using STATA version 12. The results indicated that 98.8% of the food vendors had good knowledge on food safety and handling. The knowledge on food safety was associated with training (p value ≤0.011), license status (p value ≤0.002), marital status (p value <0.001), and religion (p value ≤0.038). Good food-handling practices were associated with training (p value ≤0. 001) and license (p value ≤0.002) and not their educational levels. The study found training of food vendors as the most effective way to increase knowledge on food safety and enhance food-handling practices. The study recommended for collaborations of municipal assemblies with other agencies to strengthen, sustain, and organize regular training programs for new entrants and existing food vendors as well as retraining of trainers to equip them adequately with knowledge and skills to enable them effectively facilitate training programs for food vendors.

scholarly journals Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge and Compliance to Hygienic Practices among Street Food Vendors in Zanzibar Urban District

2020 ◽  
pp. 59-72
Author(s):  
Jamila K. Hassan ◽  
Leonard W. T. Fweja
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Formal Training ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Great Awareness ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Handling Practices ◽  
Chi Square Analysis ◽  
Food Handling Practices

This cross-sectional descriptive study assessed the hygienic and safety measures among street food vendors in the Urban district of Zanzibar. A total of 265 food vendors with immobile food vending units were involved. Data were gathered using a structured researcher-administered questionnaire and complemented with observation. Compliance ranks to food safety and hygiene were established based on computed compliance scores. Descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests (α = 0.05) were employed in data analyses. The results indicated that only a moderate fraction of the vendors have had formal training in food safety and hygiene, however the majority of whom demonstrated great awareness about food safety and hygiene. Among the surveyed vending sites 36% appeared clean, 50.2% and 42.6% vending sites had waste bin and / or refuse sites respectively, wash basin (44.9%) and soap availability (47.2%).  Safe food handling practices included food covering (57.4%), adequate protection of food from flies and dust (40.8%), cold preservation of food (28.3%), saving food hot or reheated before sale (35.1%), dishing out food with appropriate gadgets (53%). Observed good food hygiene conducts included washing hands with soap before preparing food (always 63%, sometimes 34%), washing hands with soap after toilet visit (always 33.2%, sometimes 46.8%), clean finger nail (98.5%), hair protection (33.6%) and use of apron (29%). The results likewise indicate an overall compliance of 0.50 on environmental hygiene of vending site, 0.45 on food handling practices, and 0.66 on vendors’ hygiene and sanitary practices. This implies an average overall compliance with the hygiene of the vending site and food handling practices and good overall compliance with the vendors’ hygiene and sanitary practices. Chi-square analysis revealed that gender, education attainments, formal training on food safety and vending duration are influencing factors for food safety and hygiene measures.

High-Risk Food Consumption and Food Safety Practices in a Canadian Community

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 2575-2586 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDREA NESBITT ◽  
SHANNON MAJOWICZ ◽  
RITA FINLEY ◽  
BARBARA MARSHALL ◽  
FRANK POLLARI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Chicken Nuggets ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Food Practices ◽  
Safe Food

Understanding consumers' high-risk food consumption patterns and food handling in the home is critical in reducing foodborne illness. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of unsafe food practices of individuals in a Canadian-based population, specifically, high-risk food consumption and home food safety practices. During November 2005 to March 2006, a sample of 2,332 randomly selected residents of the Waterloo Region (Ontario, Canada) participated in a telephone survey of food consumption and food safety. Questions covered consumption of high-risk foods, hand washing practices, safe food handling knowledge, source of food safety education, meat thawing and cooking practices, cross-contamination after raw food preparation, and refrigeration temperatures. Certain high-risk food behaviors were common among respondents and were associated with demographic characteristics. In general, unsafe practices increased with increasing total annual household income level. Males were more likely to report engaging in risky practices than were females. Specific high-risk behaviors of public health concern were reported by elderly individuals (e.g., consuming undercooked eggs), children (e.g., consuming chicken nuggets), and rural residents (e.g., drinking unpasteurized milk). Respondents appeared to know proper food safety practices, but did not put them into practice. Thus, educational programs emphasizing specific practices to improve food safety should be directed to targeted audiences, and they should stress the importance of consumer behavior in the safety of foods prepared at home. Further investigation of consumer perceptions is needed to design such programs to effectively increase the implementation of safe food practices by consumers.

Does the food safety ranking system act as a nudge?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhuvanesh Awasthi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Food Hygiene ◽  
Ranking System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Hygiene Compliance ◽  
Ranking Information

Public health safety is of concern to authorities across the globe and inspector’s food hygiene ranking system has been introduced in many countries. Mandatory disclosure of hygiene ranking information was introduced to empower consumers to make informed decisions regarding foodborne risks. Evaluating available research on public perception and attitude towards such rankings, it seems that the food safety rankings may prompt hygiene compliance by the food business operators and may act as a nudge for consumers to avoid outlets, though with certain caveats. Significant assessment of the scheme remains to be carried out for the ranking system to be an effective nudge for sustainable consumer protection. The public health authorities and organisations need to consider several real-world cognitive and behavioural constraints.

scholarly journals A pilot study on assessing the sustainability of food safety and hygienic practices in street food handling system

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Krishnasree ◽  
P. V. Nethra ◽  
J. Dheeksha ◽  
M.S. Madumitha ◽  
R. Vidyaeswari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Microbial Contamination ◽  
Food Handlers ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Handling System ◽  
Handling Practices ◽  
Safe Food ◽  
Food Handling Practices

Street food vending units are on a rise in the country as they offer less expensive and a variety of delicacies to the consumer. It also supports the economy of the country as street foods are gathering a lot of attention through food tourism as well. On the other hand, a large number of population is thriving on it as a means of livelihood. However, the safety and hygienic practices followed in these food vending system requires large reforms. In this regard, the present study was undertaken to understand the awareness of street food handlers on food safety and to determine the microbial contamination of the street foods. The current investigation revealed that even though, majority of the food vendors were aware of the safe food handling practices, it was not followed appropriately during food preparation which resulted in higher levels of microbial contamination in their produce. The study also throws light on the methods that could achieve a sustainable food safety in the street food vending systems in the country.

scholarly journals Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior of Street Food Vendors and Consumers in Dhaka City

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-51
Author(s):  
Sumaiya Mamun ◽  
Sabiha Alam ◽  
Mohammad Abduz Zaher ◽  
AK Obidul Huq
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Dhaka City ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Street Vendors ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Safety Attitudes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Safety Knowledge

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and street food suppliers and consumer behaviors of the capital city Dhaka were investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires based on previous studies. Three main areas addressed in the surveys and statistical analysis are; 1) statistical data including gender, age, education, income, food safety training, and specific elements related to the work experience of suppliers, 2) knowledge of food safety such as the awareness of consumers and suppliers concerning pathogenic microbes that cause food poisoning, food and personal hygiene, proper cleaning procedures and high-risk groups, and 3) list of food handling attitude and behavior of subjects. Results showed food safety knowledge of street vendors in the High-tech Industries Development Zone was the lowest, where education levels are generally relatively low. Food safety attitudes of the youngest consumers were significantly better than those of older age groups. Street vendors were relatively poor in carrying out safe food handling, with only 27.6% using or being fully equipped with hand-washing facilities, although more than 50% of vendors were not wearing clean and tidy clothes and masks. Steps should be taken to improve street food stall operating conditions and facilities, including access of potable water, providing clean protected structures, and efficient waste collection and disposal systems that can promote the plans and strategies to improve street food safety of Dhaka city and Bangladesh as a whole. Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 37 Number 2 December 2020, pp 48-51

scholarly journals FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE AMONG STREET FOOD VENDORS IN TAUNGGYI TOWNSHIP, MYANMAR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-188
Author(s):  
Tin Aung Soe Htway ◽  
Kraiwuth Kallawicha
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Safety Training ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Street Food ◽  
Food Safety Training ◽  
Safety Knowledge

Food safety is a growing public health concern worldwide. Street foods are an integral part of many cultures and offer at affordable prices. However, it is associated with food safety issues, especially in developing countries. Therefore, it is essential that street food vendors understand and implement food safety practices to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. This cross-sectional study investigated the food safety knowledge and practices as well as their associated factors among street food vendors in Taunggyi Township, Myanmar. Validated structured questionnaires were used to interview 158 street food vendors, and a set of observational checklists was used to inspect the sanitary conditions of vending sites and vendors’ food hygiene practices. The association between food safety knowledge and practices was assessed using a chi-squared test. Our results revealed that most vendors had a high level of food safety knowledge and that 58.9% scored equal to or lower than the median value in food safety practices, whereas 41.1% scored higher than the median value (median=15). Sex and education level were significantly associated with participants’ food safety knowledge (p < 0.001). Similarly, education, race and monthly income were significantly associated with their food safety practices (p < 0.001), whereas food safety training attendance had no association. Additionally, participants with better knowledge scores were more likely to have better practice scores. Food safety training given to vendors should be more detailed and comply with standard guidelines, especially with regard to street food safety practices.

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