Vol. 2, Issue 1, Part A (2025)

Street‑vended foods account for a substantial portion of urban dietary intake in many low‑ and middle‑income countries, yet the informal nature of vending often results in inadequate adherence to fundamental hygiene practices, contributing significantly to the global burden of foodborne illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe food is estimated to cause approximately 600 million illnesses and around 420 000 deaths annually [9,15]. Studies conducted among street food vendors in various urban settings have documented low levels of knowledge, attitude and practice regarding food hygiene, with only 16 % of vendors achieving adequate knowledge in one South Indian context, ^[6] and many units lacking even dedicated hand‑washing facilities or waste‑disposal bins ^[5]. Previous intervention research suggests that brief training programmes delivered by health professionals can improve vendor hygiene outcomes—e.g., quasi‑experimental research in Nigeria found positive changes following health education ^[16]. However, limited evidence exists on the effects of short‑term training specifically delivered by community health nurses and targeted at street food vendors. This research therefore aimed to assess hygiene practices among street food vendors following a short‑term training intervention delivered by community health nurses, using a quasi‑experimental pre‑post design with observational checklists and vendor self‑report. A total of 120 street food vendors operating in urban districts were enrolled and received a two‑day interactive training covering hand‑hygiene, utensil sanitation, raw‑and‑cooked food separation, waste management and personal hygiene. Hygiene practice scores were assessed immediately before training and at three‑month follow‑up. The mean composite hygiene score increased from 54.3 (±12.8) at baseline to 72.6 (±10.5) at follow‑up (p < 0.001). Significant improvements were noted in hand‑washing facilities (observed in 29 % of vendors at baseline vs. 58 % at follow‑up), raw-cooked separation (42 % vs. 67 %), and glove or utensil use (33 % vs. 61 %). Regression analysis indicated that training attendance, vendor educational level and access to running water explained 48 % of the variance in hygiene‑practice change. The findings indicate that short‑term training by community health nurses can meaningfully improve the hygiene practices of street food vendors. Implications include the potential for scaled training initiatives integrated into municipal health services, although longer follow‑up and evaluation of microbiological outcomes are warranted.