The knowledge, attitude and practices of food handlers in food sanitation in a metropolis in south eastern Nigeria

The spread of diseases through food is still a common problem which results in appreciable morbidity and occasional mortality. Food handlers play an important role in ensuring food safety throughout the chain of production, processing, storage and preparation. This study was designed to determine knowledge, attitude and practice of food handlers towards food-borne diseases and food safety. A total of 430 food handlers were randomly selected from Owerri Metropolis of Imo State Nigeria and interviewed using structured pretested questionnaire. Almost half (48.4%) of the respondents had poor knowledge of food sanitation. Multiple logistic regression showed type of premise [Odd Ratio (OR) = 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8 - 7.5, P = 0.0004], educational level (OR = 0.4, 95% CI = 1.8 -7.4, P = 0.0003) and job status of food handlers (OR = 0.5, 95%, CI = 0.3 - 0.8, P = 0.0031) significantly influenced the score level of knowledge. There was no significant difference in attitude and practice between trained and untrained food handlers. Findings of this study may be important in planning health education intervention programs for food handlers in order to improve their knowledge, attitude and practice towards food borne diseases and food safety. This will help in reducing morbidity and mortality due to food-borne diseases.