Food Hygiene and associated factors among street food vendors of selected districts of Bagamati Province, Nepal: A cross-sectional study
- 1Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences
Abstract
BackgroundStreet food vending is a major source of food supply in Nepal. Poor food hygiene practices among street food vendors pose a health risk by increasing the risk of foodborne diseases. Studies regarding food hygiene knowledge and practices are needed to improve public awareness. Therefore, this study aimed to assess food hygiene knowledge and practice among street food vendors and their associated factors in selected districts of Bagamati Province.
MethodsA community-based cross-sectional analytical study was carried out among 186 street food vendors of Districts located in central Nepal. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire and an observation checklist. Knowledge and practice levels were categorized as good and poor. Chi-square test, Fishers exact test, odds ratio, and Mann-Whitney U test were applied for data analysis.
ResultsLess than half (39.8%) of the vendors had good food hygiene knowledge, while 91.4% of the respondents reported good food safety and hygiene practices. The education level of street food vendors was significantly associated with food hygiene knowledge (p = 0.001) and food safety and hygiene practices (p = 0.042). Significant association was not seen between overall food hygiene knowledge and overall food safety and hygiene practices levels.
ConclusionThe study identified a gap between food hygiene knowledge and self-reported food hygiene practices among street food vendors. Education, infrastructure, and regulations among street food vendors play a key role in good food hygiene practices more than knowledge alone. Policymakers should focus on training of food vendors, regular supervision, and monitoring of vending sites to enhance food safety.
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BibTeX
@misc{poudel2026food,
title = {{Food Hygiene and associated factors among street food vendors of selected districts of Bagamati Province, Nepal: A cross-sectional study}},
author = {S. Poudel and A. Dahal and A. Nangia},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.09.26365118},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.26365118v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Food Hygiene and associated factors among street food vendors of selected districts of Bagamati Province, Nepal: A cross-sectional study
AU - S. Poudel
AU - A. Dahal
AU - A. Nangia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.09.26365118
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.09.26365118v1
AB - BackgroundStreet food vending is a major source of food supply in Nepal. Poor food hygiene practices among street food vendors pose a health risk by increasing the risk of foodborne diseases. Studies regarding food hygiene knowledge and practices are needed to improve public awareness. Therefore, this study aimed to assess food hygiene knowledge and practice among street food vendors and their associated factors in selected districts of Bagamati Province. MethodsA community-based cross-sectional analytical study was carried out among 186 street food vendors of Districts located in central Nepal. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire and an observation checklist. Knowledge and practice levels were categorized as good and poor. Chi-square test, Fishers exact test, odds ratio, and Mann-Whitney U test were applied for data analysis. ResultsLess than half (39.8%) of the vendors had good food hygiene knowledge, while 91.4% of the respondents reported good food safety and hygiene practices. The education level of street food vendors was significantly associated with food hygiene knowledge (p = 0.001) and food safety and hygiene practices (p = 0.042). Significant association was not seen between overall food hygiene knowledge and overall food safety and hygiene practices levels. ConclusionThe study identified a gap between food hygiene knowledge and self-reported food hygiene practices among street food vendors. Education, infrastructure, and regulations among street food vendors play a key role in good food hygiene practices more than knowledge alone. Policymakers should focus on training of food vendors, regular supervision, and monitoring of vending sites to enhance food safety.
ER -