Knowledge and Practice of Food Hygiene among Food Vendors in Selected Primary Schools within Sokoto Metropolis

Aims: This study aims to assess the knowledge and practice of food hygiene among food vendors in primary schools within Sokoto metropolis.

Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Sokoto metropolis, Northwest Nigeria between June and December 2020.

Methodology: Eighty-seven food handlers were selected from 11 randomly selected primary schools that met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected via the use of interviewer administered questionnaire and observation checklist. and was analyzed using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and frequencies of the various variables were tabulated.

Results: Eighty-seven (87) food handlers with mean age of 31.95 ± 15.12 years were enrolled, out of this, 93.1% were females and only 6.9% were males. Ninety-two percent of the respondents had good knowledge of food hygiene while 78.2% had good practice and 79.3% had good level of neatness. There was no statistically significant association between the knowledge of food hygiene and any of the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents. However, there was statistically significant association between the practice of food hygiene and age category (p-value=0.001) as well as marital status of the respondents (p-value=0.001). There was also statistical significance between the level of neatness of the food handlers and age category (p-value= 0.001), marital status (p-value 0.001) and educational status (p-value 0.001).

Conclusion: Food handlers in primary schools within Sokoto metropolis generally have good knowledge of food hygiene but this was not reflected in their hygiene practices. It is recommended that a massive health education directed at both the general public and food handlers should be provided in such a way that it enables people take necessary steps towards preventing foodborne illnesses.