Raw Milk Consumption and Awareness of Associated Health Risks Among Dairy-Sector Workers in Atlántico, Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Raw milk consumption is a recognized route for zoonotic pathogen transmission, yet data among dairy-sector workers in the Colombian Caribbean are scarce. This cross-sectional study assessed raw milk consumption prevalence and its association with awareness of associated health risks among 68 dairy-sector workers in Repelón and Manatí, Atlántico, Colombia. Associations were evaluated using Fisher’s exact test, odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals, and univariable logistic regression, with Benjamini–Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons. Prevalence was 22.1% (95% CI: 13.8–33.3%; 15/68) and was similar between Manatí (25.0%) and Repelón (20.0%). Workers reporting awareness of raw-milk-associated risks had lower odds of consumption (OR = 0.229, 95% CI: 0.068–0.770, p = 0.017). A related item capturing disbelief in any risk showed a consistent pattern (OR = 5.22, 95% CI: 1.37–19.9, p = 0.019). However, the two items were moderately correlated (phi = 0.485) rather than fully independent, and neither association survived correction for multiple comparisons. No associations were found with age, education, training, or time in the industry; the unbalanced sex distribution (91.2% male) precluded robust assessment of sex-related differences. Given the geographically restricted, non-probability sample from two municipalities, these exploratory findings should be interpreted as preliminary and considered hypothesis-generating for future, adequately powered food-safety education research in this and similar dairy-worker populations.