http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Meat hygiene practices and its associated factors among the meat handlers of Kathmandu metropolitan city
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Meat hygiene refers to all conditions and measures necessary to ensure safety and suitability of meat at all stages of the food chain. Inadequate hygiene practices allow consumers to be exposed to pathogens causing public health problems. Inadequate facilities and hygiene practices in meat shops results meat contamination. The study aimed to find the meat hygiene practices and associated factors among the meat handlers of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Methods: Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. For quantitative, semistructured questionnaire; to interview 320 meat handlers and observation checklist for identifying meat hygiene practices. For qualitative, in-depth interviews with meat handlers to supplement or triangulate quantitative findings. Descriptive analysis; to identify the socio-demographic variables while bivariate and multivariate analysis; to identify factors associated with the awareness and meat hygienic practices. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis method. Results: Majority (56.6%) of the meat handlers had not satisfactory awareness on meat hygiene. Similarly, more than half (55.6%) of the meat handlers had not satisfactory meat hygiene practices. Ethnicity (AOR= 6.640, 95% CI= 4.478-10.67), religion (AOR= 2.818, 95% CI= 1.243-6.358), education (AOR= 2.551, 95% CI= 1.331-4.889) were found to be associated with satisfactory awareness. Similarly, education level (AOR= 2.837, 95% CI= 1.771-4.546), involvement in other jobs (AOR= 2.263, 95% CI= 0.958-2.46) and handlers from registered meat shops (AOR=2.858, 95% CI= 1.20-6.808) were found to have satisfactory meat hygiene practices. Qualitative study shows freezing meat, personal hygiene, cleanliness, personal protective equipment use and waste management as issues in hygiene practices. Conclusion: The education level, registration status of shop, involvement in other job, awareness on meat hygiene were identified as key factors associated with meat hygiene practices. Overall, meat hygiene practice was found not satisfactory. Lack of proper mechanism for regulation from authorities has also been reported by meat handlers. So, there is need to address these factors to improve meat hygiene practices.