Assessment of bacterial hand contamination and associated factors among food handlers working in catering establishments in Hossana town, Hadiya zone, south Ethiopia, 2023

Abstract Background: - Hands are the major source of contamination, and can never be completely free of microorganisms, especially bacteria. Food can become contaminated by dirty hands if there is a lack of proper hygiene among the food handlers when handling food. Human hands are in regular contact with the surrounding environment, and a variety of pathogens can reach the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, eyes, and genitals of humans through the hands and consequently contribute to foodborne illness outbreaks. Objective: This study assessed bacterial hand contamination and associated factors among food handlers working in food establishments in Hossana Town, southern Ethiopia. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among food handlers at food establishments in Hosanna town, Hadiya zone, southern Ethiopia, from March 2023 to May 2023. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to allocate study participants to their catering establishment, and then a random sampling technique was applied to recruit participants. After signed consent was obtained, a structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic and potential risk factors. The data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed using the SPSS version 20 statistical package, and descriptive statistics were used to describe the variables. The chi-square test was used to identify factors associated with the outcome variable. Results: The overall prevalence of bacterial positivity was 18/156 (11.5%), and among the identified bacterial isolates, 10/156 (6.4%) were Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Escherichia coli (5/156 (3.2%)), and Salmonella typhi. 3/156 (1.9%). The isolated pathogens were associated with those who were not trained in food preparation and handling, those who had no clean nails observed, poor hand washing after sneezing, poor hand washing after touching waste, and those who had no habit of hand washing after latrine usage (defecation) (p < 0.001). This finding implies the need to strengthen the personal hygiene and redressal training of food handlers on personal hygiene guidelines to improve practices during food processing.