Assessment of Hygiene Practices among Eateries in Amai Community: A Mixed Intervention Study

Background: There is an observable increase in food-borne diseases, food poisoning among the rural dwellers in the study setting which is perceived to be due to consumption of poorly handled food. This was a strong justification for this study. Objective: This study aimed at assessing the environmental and storage system for unprocessed and processed food amongst identified eateries and to implement interventions based on observed wrong practices. Methodology: This study adopted a mixed descriptive cross-sectional intervention study (a questionnaire, observational check list and Key Informant Interviews for data collection among 38 respondents). The items in the checklist were adapted from World Health Organization standard for assessing food vendors and premises. The quantitative data collected was coded and analyzed using SPSS version 20 while qualitative data was transcribed verbatim with themes and sub-themes. Results: At pre-intervention phase, apron use was 15 (39.5%) with 3 (7.9%) consistency; chef caps usage was 14 (36.8%) with 8 (21.1%) consistency but there was no observable use of facemasks. Twenty-three (60.0%) reported Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) burden. At the post-intervention phase, apron use was 37 (97.4%) with 35 (92.1%) consistency; chef cap use was 28 (73.7%) with 26 (68.4%) consistency; facemask use was 33 (86.8%) with 19 (50.0%) consistency. By implication, 36.8% wear it under the chin, and 13.2% still feel uncomfortable using it. Conclusion: Interventions can influence the practice of good food handling practice among food handlers and consistency in the use of PPE to prevent food contamination via droplets.