Food hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practices of local food vendors in Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State

Background: Globally, local food vendors provide a source of convenient and inexpensive food for the teeming population on daily basis and they play an important role in food hygiene and safety. The breakdown of food hygiene during food preparation presents the subsequent risk of the emergence of food borne illnesses along the pathway of the entire food supply chain leading to morbidity and mortality of consumers.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practices of local food vendors in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.

Methods: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample size calculated to be 422 using Cochran formula and a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to recruit the study participant. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data generated was analysed using version 26 of SPSS.

Results: Among study participants, 84.1% were females and 15.9% males. 90.8% and 94.1% of the respondents had good food hygiene knowledge and attitude respectively. This study showed a proportion of food vendors who practiced good hygiene to be 34.6%. A significant relationship exists between knowledge of food hygiene and sex (p=0.002) and, education level (p=0.007). 

Conclusion: This study showed that majority of the food vendors have good food hygiene knowledge and attitude but only one third of the respondents had good hygiene practices. Therefore, food vendors should be periodically trained and supervised to ensure good hygiene practices.