Sanitation and Hygiene Status of Food Establishments and Associated Factor in Arba Minch Town, Ethiopia

Background: Foodborne illness remains a global public health concern, especially in low-income nations due to inadequate food safety regulations, sanitation, and regulatory frameworks, primarily attributed to poor hygiene conditions. There are limited studies conducted towards determinants of sanitation and hygiene status of food establishments in Arba Minch, Ethiopia. As a result, the goal of this study is to evaluate determinants of sanitation and hygiene status of food establishments in the Arba Minch town. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 food establishments in Arba Minch town from January 25, 2024, to February 23, 2025, using structured questionnaires. The raw data were entered into SPSS version25 software for analyses. Descriptive statistics mean, median, standard deviations, and range values for continuous data; percentage and frequency tables for categorical data are included. Bivariate and multivariable analysis was conducted to see the existence of association. Model fitness was checked by Hosmer and Lemshow test and multi-collinearity were be checked by tolerance and VIF. Those variables with p-value < 0.25 in bivariate analysis were included in multivariable logistic regression model to control possible confounders. Finally OR with 95% confidence interval at p-value <0.05 was used to declare level of significant association. Result: The prevalence of good sanitation and hygiene status was 21% (95% CI: (17.3-25.2). trained managers about sanitation and hygiene (AOR= 0.28, with 95% CI: 0.13-0.60). type of food establishment (AOR= 0.30 with 95% CI: 0.11-0.84), worker's trained about food hygiene and sanitation (AOR= 0.15 with 95% CI: 0.07-0.33), and monthly income of the food establishment (AOR = 0.21 with 95% CI: 0.05-0.91) were factors that significantly associated with poor sanitation and hygiene status. Conclusion: below average of the food establishments were found to be in good sanitation and hygiene status. After adjusting possible confounding factors, manager training on food hygiene and sanitation, type of food establishment, worker's trained about food hygiene and sanitation, and Monthly income of the establishments were the main determinant factors that influence the sanitation and hygienic status of food establishments.