Food safety practices among mothers with infants aged 6-12 months in Sekyere South municipal, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring safe food practices among mothers is essential to protect the health of infants and young children, who are particularly vulnerable to foodborne illnesses. In low- and middle-income countries, unsafe household food handling, poor storage, and limited caregiver knowledge significantly contribute to diarrhoea diseases, malnutrition, and preventable childhood deaths. This study assessed food preparation, handling, and storage practices among mothers and examined the influence of various sociodemographic factors on these practices. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 571 mothers in the Sekyere South Municipal via a structured questionnaire. Mothers were recruited through a convenience sampling technique. Data were coded and entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) were used to summarize the data. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using chi-square tests. Variables that showed statistical significance at p < 0.05 in bivariate analysis were entered into a multivariate logistic regression model to identify independent predictors of appropriate food handling practices. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Most respondents practiced safe food preparation methods (91.1%), 43.1% demonstrated good food handling practices, and 56.6% practiced safe food storage. Significant sociodemographic predictors of food safety practices were age, marital status, occupation, monthly income, and educational level. Higher education consistently emerged as the strongest predictor across all three domains. Mothers with tertiary education had significantly greater odds of good practices in food preparation (AOR = 15.739, 95% CI: 10.86-15.39), handling (AOR = 15.390, 95% CI: 10.81-15.59), and storage (AOR = 15.779, 95% CI: 2.21-15.77). Occupation and income also showed significant associations, with self-employed and higher-income mothers being more likely to exhibit safe behaviors (AOR = 4.921, 95% CI: 2.04-11.88). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that while food preparation practices are generally good among mothers, food handling and storage practices require improvement. Key sociodemographic factors such as education, income, and occupation significantly influence food safety behavior. Improving mothers' food handling and storage practices is essential to reducing the burden of foodborne illnesses among children, thereby contributing to better child survival and overall community health.