Factors Contributing to Food and Water Borne Illnesses among Households in the Ashaiman Municipality in Ghana

Abstract

Background: Food and water borne illnesses are of great concern to all humanity and for this reason there is a need for every individual to take part in curbing this condition since it is preventable to a large extent. This could be achievable when the contributing factors are well known. This study therefore sought to assess the factors that contribute to food and water borne illnesses among households in the Ashaiman Municipality. Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out to identify the factors that contribute to reported food and water borne illnesses among households in the Ashaiman Municipality. A total of 230 household heads/ representatives were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The compiled data were analysed using Stata version 15 which included the use of frequency distribution tables and the chi- square test was used to show association between variables. A significance level of 5% was used for the study. Results: When logistic regression analyses was done for each independent variable, significant effects were observed between employment status, storage of left- over/ fresh foods on shelf, storage of domestic water in barrels, storage of drinking water in sachet bags/ bottle and reported food and water borne illnesses. Multiple logistic regression analyses on assessing the relationship that existed between, housing environmental factors, socio- economic factors and reported food and water borne illnesses revealed that employment status and storage of left- over/ fresh food on shelf were significant and independent predictors of reported food and water borne illnesses. Conclusion- The findings revealed that, socioeconomic factors such as employment status and housing environmental factors such as storage of fresh/ left-over food on shelf were associated positively with reported food and water borne illnesses among the sampled residents of the Ashaiman Municipality.