PERCEPTION OF FOOD HYGIENE AS A CONTROL MEASURE OF TYPHOID FEVER AMONG PARENTS IN OGBERURU ORLU LGA, IMO STATE

The purpose of this study was to assess the perception of food hygiene as a control measure of typhoid fever among parents in Ogberuru Orlu Local Government Area, Imo state. The study adopted a quantitative survey research design. The target population was parents (adults from 20 years and above) resident in Ogberuru Orlu Local Government Area. A systematic sampling technique was used to derive 160 respondents from the total population. The instrument used in the study was a self-designed questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, frequency and percentages. Findings showed a high level of knowledge of food hygiene among the respondents with a rate of 86.2% on average, and a positive perception towards food hygiene as a control measure of typhoid fever with a rate of 80.3% on average. The barriers to the practice of food hygiene were shown to include social factors such as family, friends and environment (82.9%); lack of knowledge and resources (87.7%); physical condition (80.9%); socioeconomic status (81.0%); and cultural variations (82.3%). The study concluded that by using simple techniques of effective hygiene practice, infections associated with the modern home especially foodborne infections can be reduced, controlled and even prevented via hygiene education programmes targeted at the community and grassroots levels. In light of this, the researcher recommended that more awareness opportunities for improving the knowledge of community residents on the benefits of food hygiene and proper food handling practices should be carried out to increase the rate of knowledge among the parents and promote general wellbeing in the households.