Effect of Microbial Quality of Washing Water on Hand Hygiene Status of Food Handlers in Jimma Town: Implication for Food Hygiene and Safety

Figures & data

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Food Handlers Working in Jimma Town Food Service Establishments

Variables	Responses	Frequency	Percent
Sex	Male	104	69.3
	Female	46	30.7
Age	18 to 35	53	35.3
	35 to 50	64	42.7
	>50	33	22.0
Educational status	No education	64	42.7
	Elementary School	61	40.7
	Secondary School	25	16.7
Food handling experience (years)	Less than 1	24	16.0
	1 to 2	62	41.3
	3 to 5	47	31.3
	6 to 10	17	11.3
Job category	Cooker	41	27.3
	Waiter	109	72.7
Source of water used for hand washing	Stored water	115	76.7
	Tap water	35	23.3

Table 2 Correlation Between Mean Bacterial Counts of Water and Hand Rinsate Samples in Food and Drinking Establishments of Jimma Town

Type of Bacteria Isolated	Mean Bacterial Count (log CFU/mL)	Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r)
Water coliform count	5.4 ± 0.6	0.71*
Hand rinsate coliform count	4.9 ± 0.6
Water E. coli count	5.0 ± 0.6	0.70*
Hand rinsate E. coli count	4.2 ± 0.6

Note: *Indicates a positive and strong correlation.