Participatory action research to improve safety and hygiene practices among street food venders in Lusaka central business district

Abstract

Zambia‘s urban growth and unemployment have made street vending of food an important, viable informal sector industry in the country. However, despite being that important, it has developed into a serious public health concern due to the poor hygiene practices surrounding it. Several attempts to control the vendors through the enforcement of food laws have been made by the local authority without much success. Lusaka City Council (LCC) has continued to record increase in the street food complaints received from the public while diarrheal diseases continue to rank among the top five causes of morbidity in the city of Lusaka. Further, food borne disease outbreaks such as cholera and typhoid have become a norm every rain season. Using participatory action research (PAR) approach with the aid of the theory of planned behavior, study aimed to improve safety and hygiene practices among street food vendors through the development of a PAR framework based on the vendors and local authority perceptions and beliefs. The specific objectives were; - 1. To explore the perceptions and beliefs of the community (street vendors, consumers and local authority) about street vended foods in Lusaka. 2. To ascertain the perceived best action to take in order to improve safety and hygiene practices among street food vendors in Lusaka. 3. To develop a PAR framework to improve safety and hygiene practices among street food vendors in Lusaka CBD. The period of the study was from February, 2016 to June, 2017. The study findings indicated that; - Registration of street food vendors, training them in safety and hygiene practices, sensitization of consumers on street food safety and hygiene issues, relocation of street food vendors to places with basic facilities needed to deal in food business, enforcement of food laws, collaborative action among all stakeholders and political will were the best perceived actions to improve safety and hygiene practices among street food vendors in Lusaka. From the findings, collaborative action among all stakeholders, and engagement in more PAR activities by all stakeholders should be prioritized to quickly see the substantial change and sustain it. The framework developed can bring about the change we require if policy makers can use it as a benchmark. This framework is collaborative in nature. It will enable key stakeholders (LCC, street food vendors, political leaders and consumers) to work collectively together and vii improve safety and hygiene practices among street food vendors. It also serves as a reminder for policy makers and local authority to embrace street food vendors and include them in their actions and plans to ensure effective prevention and control of foodborne diseases and out breaks. Key Words: Participatory Acton Research (PAR), Food Safety, Hygiene Practices, Street food, Vendor