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Influence of Foodborne Disease Education on Safe Food Storage Practices among Household Food Handlers in Nigeria

Abstract

Foodborne diseases remain an important public health concern and may result from the consumption of food contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms, toxins, chemicals, or other hazardous substances. Household food handling practices play an important role in food safety because inadequate storage, improper temperature control, cross-contamination, poor hygiene, and prolonged storage of prepared foods can increase the risk of food contamination and foodborne illness. Household food handlers, including individuals responsible for purchasing, preparing, storing, and serving food within the home, therefore have an important role in preventing foodborne diseases. Foodborne disease education provides household food handlers with information about common foodborne pathogens, routes of contamination, food safety principles, appropriate storage temperatures, separation of raw and cooked foods, safe reheating, appropriate storage duration, personal hygiene, and recognition of food spoilage. Safe food storage practices refer to behaviours adopted to prevent food contamination and deterioration during storage, including appropriate refrigeration, proper covering and packaging, separation of raw and cooked foods, appropriate temperature control, safe storage duration, correct reheating of stored food, and appropriate disposal of spoiled or unsafe food. In Nigeria, household food handlers may face challenges such as inadequate knowledge of food safety principles, limited access to refrigeration, unreliable electricity supply, household resource constraints, traditional food storage practices, and misconceptions regarding food spoilage and safety. Effective foodborne disease education may improve knowledge and encourage the adoption of safer food storage practices within households. Against this background, this study investigates the influence of foodborne disease education on safe food storage practices among household food handlers in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model explains preventive health behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding household food handlers' adoption of food safety practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, behavioural capabilities, and environmental conditions in shaping food handling behaviour. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how improved knowledge and attitudes resulting from foodborne disease education may influence safe food storage practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how foodborne disease education may influence safe food storage practices among household food handlers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from household food handlers in selected communities in Nigeria using a structured interviewer-administered or self-administered questionnaire and an appropriate food storage practice observation checklist where feasible. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, communities, households, and eligible food handlers. Where feasible, selected households or participant groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Participants in the intervention group will receive structured foodborne disease education covering common foodborne diseases, routes of food contamination, personal hygiene, cross-contamination prevention, refrigeration and temperature control, separation of raw and cooked foods, safe storage duration, appropriate reheating, food packaging, recognition of spoilage, and appropriate disposal of unsafe food. Safe food storage practices will be assessed using indicators such as appropriate refrigeration, proper covering and packaging, separation of raw and cooked foods, appropriate storage temperatures, adherence to recommended storage duration, safe reheating of stored foods, proper handling of leftovers, and appropriate disposal of spoiled food. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' sociodemographic characteristics, food safety knowledge, exposure to education, and safe food storage practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and logistic or multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the influence of foodborne disease education on safe food storage practices. Appropriate diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that foodborne disease education has a significant positive influence on safe food storage practices among household food handlers in Nigeria. Food handlers exposed to structured foodborne disease education are expected to demonstrate improved understanding of food contamination and greater adoption of appropriate storage practices. Education may improve awareness of the importance of temperature control, separation of raw and cooked foods, appropriate storage duration, safe reheating, proper packaging, and timely disposal of spoiled food. However, education alone may not guarantee sustained safe food storage practices because household food handlers may continue to face barriers such as limited refrigeration capacity, unreliable electricity supply, inadequate kitchen facilities, financial constraints, traditional storage practices, and limited access to food safety resources. Consequently, foodborne disease education is expected to be most effective when supported by improved household food storage facilities, reliable access to electricity, affordable refrigeration options, clean water, appropriate food safety resources, and community-based food safety programmes. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on food safety, foodborne disease prevention, household health, environmental health, health education, nutrition, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the influence of foodborne disease education on safe food storage practices among household food handlers. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, state ministries of health, local government health authorities, environmental health officers, nutrition professionals, community health workers, public health practitioners, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening household food safety. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for improving community foodborne disease education, promoting safe food storage practices, strengthening household food safety awareness, improving access to appropriate storage facilities, addressing misconceptions about food spoilage, and reducing the burden of foodborne diseases among households across Nigeria.

Keywords: Foodborne disease education, safe food storage practices, household food handlers, food safety, foodborne diseases, food contamination, food hygiene, household health, environmental health, health education, public health, Nigeria.