The Role of Public Health Volunteers in the Hygienic Improvement of Food Stalls at the Kumpawapi District, Udon Thani Province

Abstract

This action research assessed the role of public health volunteers to check the
hygienic conditions of food stalls including the physical hygienic conditions of the
food stalls and examining food contamination by determining coliform bacteria.
Also the utensils of the food handlers had been examined. Altogether 68 food stalls
were studied. Measurements were done before and after intervention. The public
health volunteers questioned the shopkeepers and observed the hygienic conditions
of the food stalls. They collected 340 food samples, swabbed 204 dishes, and
swabbed the hands of 136 food handlers. The SI‐2 test set was used to detect
coliform bacteria in food, utensils and on the hands of the food handlers. For
intervention 8 groups were formed and each volunteer were working with 10 to12
shopkeepers per group. In focus group discussions the participants were informed
how to solve food hygienic problems. Follow up was being done by the public health
volunteers by visiting the food stalls 2 times per month. The investigator trained the
shopkeepers about food hygiene. For data analyses descriptive and analytical
statistics were used (McNemar test).The study was conducted from October 2010 to
March 2011. The result showed that public health volunteers could be used to
collect information about food hygiene. They could collect samples of food swabs
from utensils and the hands of food handlers and interpret the SI‐2 test. They also
were able to direct focus group discussions. The physical hygienic conditions of the
food stalls improved throughout the project. While only 2.9% of food stalls were in
an acceptable standard at the begin of the study at the end the proportion improved
to 11.8%. The result was statistically significant at p‐value < 0.05. Before the study
coliform bacteria were found in 13.9% of food samples, at 5.6% of utensils, and on
7.1% on the hands of the shopkeepers. After the intervention coliform bacteria were
found within 11.2% of food samples, on 3.4% utensils, and on 4.6% hands. This is a
statistically significant decrease of coliform bacteria contamination (p‐value < 0.05).
It is concluded that public health volunteers can improve food hygiene. The positive
impact of the volunteers on the stall owners must be accounted to the fact that the
volunteers are living in the same community and personally know the owners quite
well and easily can communicate with them in suggesting improvements.
Furthermore, it is obvious that continuous follow up is an important aspect as well.
Similar activities should be adopted to improve food safety in other areas as well.