Objective. To determine the sanitary conditions of vending sites as well as food handling practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria. Methodology. A descriptive cross-sectional study was done using an observational checklist and researcher-administered questionnaire. 286 randomly selected vending units were surveyed, and their operators interviewed on their food handling practices. Results. A higher proportion, 259 (90.5%), of the observed vending sites appeared clean. The following sanitary facilities were observed in and around the respective food premises of the respondents: waste bin, 124 (43.4%), refuse dumpsite, 41 (14.3%), wash hand basin, 201 (71.2%), hand towel, 210 (73.4%), and soap, 220 (76.9%). There were also the presence of flies 118, (41.3%), and the presence of rats/cockroaches, 7 (2.4%). Respondents with tertiary education, 5 (38.5%), vended foods in environment with good hygiene status compared to those with secondary, 45 (31.7%), and primary education, 33 (27.3%). There was no statistically significant association between educational status and the hygiene status of food premise (P = 0.362). Conclusion. This study showed that street food vending sites in Benin City were sanitary and that food vendors had good food handling practices.

The study was aimed to assess the food hygiene knowledge and practices of street food vendors in Benin City, Nigeria. A descriptive cross‐sectional study, using structured interviewer‐administered questionnaires, was carried out amongst 456 participants, selected by a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected on socio‐demographic variables, knowledge of food hygiene and safety, health and personal hygiene, foodborne illnesses as well as the food hygiene and safety practices of the study subjects. A χ2 test was conducted to test the association between variables. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. Of the 456 respondents, 131 (28.7%) were aware of the term ‘foodborne disease’. Potential food contaminants reported by respondents included worms and parasites (20.2%), piece of wood (19.1%) and germs (16.9%). Only 30 (6.6%) respondents were aware that spices and colourings were potential contaminants of food. A majority (99.6%) of the respondents washed their hands after using the toilet. The basket was most commonly used for storage of utensils by the 186 respondents (40.8%). This was followed by the cupboard 142 (31.1%), floor 103 (22.6) and wheelbarrow 51 (11.2%). Twenty‐nine respondents (24.4%) who had received food safety training demonstrated a good knowledge of food hygiene and safety compared with those who did not have food safety training 16 (4.7%). There was a statistically significant association between food safety training and respondents' knowledge of food hygiene and safety (p = .001). Training in food hygiene and safety equips vendors with the right knowledge of food hygiene and safety. This enhances good food handling practices and ensures quality products for consumer consumption. Three hundred and fifty‐nine of them (78.7%) did not take a periodic medical examination. 8.8% of the respondents took periodic medical examination biannually, 7.5% and 5.0% of them took periodic medical examination annually and biennially, respectively. This study showed that street food vendors in Benin City have poor knowledge of food hygiene and safety, their practice of food hygiene and safety fell short of standard requirements.

No abstract

Introduction: Healthcare resources are disproportionately distributed between urban and rural areas in many developing countries including Nigeria. Barriers to healthcare like cultural beliefs, poor education, and financial constraints make many rural dwellers seek other options of healthcare available to them. This paper aimed to determine healthcare options and sociodemographic factors associated with health-seeking practices in a rural community setting. Methods: A sample of 380 rural community dwellers in southern Nigeria was recruited in a cross-sectional study. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic, healthcare access and utilization data. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0 software. A chi-square test was used to find the association between sociodemographic characteristics and their health-seeking practices. Results: Equal proportions (43.4%, 42.9%) of the respondents fell within the younger age categories of 10-29 and 30-49 years. Self-reported factors influencing the choice of health care were: Promptness of care (41.8%), cost (22.4%), professionalism (16.8%), distance (15.8%), and cultural belief (3.2%). The patent medicine store was the most utilized source of health care (42.1%). 140 (36.8%) respondents sought health care in the hospital. The hospital was utilized by 41.8% of respondents with secondary education; 34.9% with tertiary education; 31.7% primary and 26.1% with no formal education, respectively. Females tended to seek health care from hospitals (40.2%) and patent medicine store (43.7%) compared to males (33.3% and 41.0%). There was a statistically significant association between education and health care options utilized (P<0.05). Conclusion:  Less than half of rural dwellers make minimal use of standard health care mainly due to cost and perception of promptness. The health authority should, therefore, prioritize community health education and expand healthcare access to enable rural dwellers to optimize the minimum standard healthcare available within their various communities.

No abstract