Hygiene practices and associated factors among meat handlers in Halaba Town, Central Ethiopia

Fresh meat, rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, is highly perishable and prone to bacterial contamination. Despite increasing demand of meat, evidence about the level of meat Hygiene Practices is limited in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of meat Hygiene Practices and associated factors among meat handlers in Halaba town, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 407 randomly selected meat handlers from all existing butcher shops, hotels and restaurants in Halaba town. A logistic regression model used to identify factors associated with meat Hygiene Practices. The prevalence of good Hygiene Practices was 57.7%, 95% CI 52.8, 62.6%. Age ≥ 36 years [AOR = 4.97, 95% CI 1.24, 19.86], secondary [AOR = 3.08, 95% CI 1.01, 9.75], and higher education [AOR = 4.80, 95% CI 1.10, 20.91], monthly income > 4000ETB [AOR = 3.78, 95% CI 1.68, 8.51], working > 8 h per day [AOR = 2.37, 95% CI 1.32, 4.25], 5–10 years of work experience [AOR = 2.48, 95% CI 1.40, 4.39], and good hygiene knowledge [AOR = 17.53, 95% CI 8.21, 37.41] were factors associated with good Hygiene Practices. Slightly more than half of the meat handlers demonstrated good meat Hygiene Practices, highlighting the need for targeted interventions such as improving hygiene knowledge through training and strengthening supportive supervision by relevant regulatory agencies.