Assessment of Personal Hygiene Practices Among Street Food Vendors in Raipur City: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Street food vendors play a crucial role in urban food supply , especially in low- and middle-income countries. Lack of  adequate personal hygiene practices in vendors can increase the risk of foodborne diseases and outbreaks.

Objectives: To assess the personal hygiene practices of street food vendors in Raipur city and determine their association with sociodemographic and occupational characteristics.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 192 street food vendors in Raipur city, selected through multi-stage random sampling. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire along with an observation checklist  using 16 point parameters which was later converted into 100 points .

Results: Of the 192 vendors, the majority were aged 18–40 years (57.82%), male (87.5%) and married (75.52%). About 35.41% were illiterate, and only 11.45% had FSSAI registration. All the vendors washed their hands  before food preparation. Only 18.75% of vendors reported wearing an apron  whereas 79.17% of vendors wore clean clothes/ apron. Most (73.96%) of vendors had nails that were both trimmed and clean. A strong majority (94.27%) maintained clean and trimmed hair, and only 7.29% of vendors used hair caps  . Just 8.33% of vendors used gloves during food handling,  Only 34.38% of vendors reported washing hands while using mobile or exchanging money .The mean personal hygiene score was 10.89 ± 2.34 (mean percentage score = 68.03%). Younger age (≤40 year), higher education, unmarried status, shorter experience (<10 years), and FSSAI registration were significantly associated with better personal hygiene scores (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Personal hygiene practices among street food vendors in Raipur were generally average,. Strengthening food safety training, regulatory enforcement, and targeted behavior change communication—particularly for older and unregistered vendors—could substantially improve food hygiene and public health outcomes.