Food Safety Practices And Its Associated Factors Among Mothers At Household Level In Dano District, West Shoa, Ethiopia, 2024

Abstract

Background: Food safety practices are critical public health issues to be considered in preventing and controlling food-borne illnesses because the transmission of these diseases can be exasperated by unsafe food safety practices of the food handler. Thousands of millions of people fall ill as a result of eating unsafe food and in the prevalence of food-borne disease; many die due to poor practice on the part of food handlers. Mothers have many more activities in the household including their children care, showing them the correct way of food hygiene practices and performing many activities at a time. From the study area high number of foodborne illness i.e. typhoid fever and diarrhea diseases were reported every year. Objective: the aim of this study was to assess food safety practices and associated factors among mothers at the household level, in the Dano district, West Shoa, Ethiopia Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dano district West Shoa, Ethiopia, among 434 systematically selected mothers of household, from May 30/2024- December 04/2024. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires and observational checklists adapted from different kinds of literature. The collected data were coded and entered into Epi-data version 3.1, and exported to SPSS version 26.0 for data analysis. Descriptive statistics computed for all variables and the result presented in table, figure and percent. A binary logistic regression analysis model was employed to identify predictors of food safety practice. Variables with a P-value less than 0.2 at bivariable logistic regression analysis selected a candidate for multivariable logistic regression. The strength of association was measured using the adjusted odds ratio and 95% CI with a cut point of a p-value less than 0.05 Result: Out of 431 Mothers participating in food preparation and handling at household level of Dano district, 253 (58.7% with 95% CI [53.9%, 63.4%]) had good food safety practices. With this regard, a monthly income of household between 500-1000 [AOR 0.73, 95% CI; 0.33, 0.88] and among mothers who had 1001-1500 [AOR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.96]; good Knowledge about food safety practice [AOR 4.35, 95% CI: 1.83, 10.31]; favorable attitude towards food safety practice [AOR 8.04, 95% CI: 3.47, 18.60]; living together with livestock [AOR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.83]; three compartment dishwashing facilities [AOR 4.35, 95% CI: 1.23, 15.32], and two dishwashing compartment [AOR 2.55, 95% CI: 1.10, 5.95] were significant associated with food safety practice. Conclusion: Generally, the present study shows that low food safety practice among food mothers in Dano district since the result is less than sixty percent. Higher monthly income of households, good knowledge about food safety practice, favorable attitude toward food safety practice, and environmental status like: living together with livestock and using two and three dish wash facilities were identified as the factors having stronger significant associated with the food safety practices of mothers. Food safety training could be launched by Woreda health office for Dano district’s mothers and repeated at specific intervals to ensure that learnt information is put into the daily life practices