Background Background: Street-vended foods support food security and livelihoods in African cities, but poor infrastructure and limited food safety knowledge may increase health risks. Evidence on these challenges and their health implications in northern Namibia remains limited. Aim To investigate factors affecting the healthiness of the informal vending food environment in Oshakati. Setting Street vending sites and open food markets in Oshakati, Namibia. Methods A phenomenological qualitative design was used. Purposive sampling recruited 20 vendors and 20 consumers, while 13 vending sites were observed. Data were collected through document review, in-depth interviews, and structured observations. Thematic analysis was applied to verbatim transcripts, with coding and theme development conducted systematically. Data collection continued until saturation was reached. Triangulation of the three data sources enhanced the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. Results Vendors mainly sold cooked foods such as fried fish, fat cakes, chips, rice, and pasta. Despite reporting good hygiene practices, handwashing was seldom observed. Informal markets lacked basic infrastructure, including running water and sanitation facilities. Vendors reported limited food safety training and poor food storage practices. Some consumers reported vomiting and diarrhoea, which they associated with consuming street-vended foods. Conclusion Food safety gaps in Oshakati’s informal food sector include poor hygiene, inadequate infrastructure, and limited training. Improved water and sanitation access, regular food safety training, and stronger municipal oversight are needed to protect public health. Contribution Provides evidence on food safety risks in Oshakati’s informal food environment to inform local policies and interventions.
Background Campylobacter infections are increasing globally, with an estimated 400-500 million cases recorded annually. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) conditions facilitate the transmission of these pathogens between humans and animals, contributing to the global increase in infections. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Campylobacter species in LMICs from the One-Health perspective. Methodology Comprehensive literature searches were conducted in PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. A total of 530 retrieved articles were screened using a predefined selection criterion. Prevalence and resistance meta-analyses were conducted by subjecting the extracted data to the random-effects model in RStudio version 4.4.2. Meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were conducted to assess the moderators of heterogeneity and robustness of included studies, respectively. Results A total of 130 articles were included in this study. The prevalence of Campylobacter species was highest in animals (14.76% [12.44; 17.25]), followed by the environment (10.95% [6.93; 16.47]) and humans (10.34% [7.41; 13.68]). The most prevalent species were C. jejuni , C. coli , and C. upsaliensis in all three sample sources. Lower-middle-income economies had the highest prevalence, followed by upper-middle-income economies and low-income economies. Generally, all Campylobacter spp. showed high resistance to tetracycline (66.82% [62.10; 71.40]), nalidixic acid (65.18% [59.12; 71.03]), and ciprofloxacin (62.52% [57.20; 67.71]). Additionally, there was a 60.65% [53.78; 67.32] prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR), followed by extensive drug resistance (XDR) with 55.14% [29.74; 79.21] and pan-drug resistance (PDR) with 1.68% [0.57; 3.23]. Conclusion There is a higher prevalence of Campylobacter species in animals compared to humans and the environment in LMICs, coupled with a high prevalence of multidrug resistance. Hence, stricter monitoring and regulation of antibiotic use in animal farming and humans are required to curb the increasing antibiotic resistance.
Few studies have simultaneously characterized physical, chemical, and culturable biological indoor air quality (IAQ) in hospital waiting areas, particularly in tropical healthcare settings. This exploratory observational environmental monitoring study assessed PM 2.5 , PM 10 , CO 2 , CO, thermal environmental parameters, and culturable airborne bacterial and fungal concentrations in five hospital waiting areas with different ventilation conditions in Northern Thailand. Measurements were conducted over nine sampling days and summarized at the room-day level to account for repeated spatial measurements. Significant overall differences among waiting areas were observed for PM 10 (p = 0.0012), temperature (p = 0.0006), culturable bacteria (p = 0.0050), and culturable fungi (p = 0.0007), whereas PM 2.5 , relative humidity, CO, and CO 2 did not differ significantly at p < 0.01. No pairwise comparison remained significant after Holm adjustment. Descriptively, Room E, the only mechanically ventilated waiting area, generally showed lower PM 10 and culturable bioaerosol concentrations than several naturally ventilated waiting areas; however, these differences cannot be attributed exclusively to ventilation condition because mechanical ventilation was represented by only one room. Neither mixed-effects models (bacteria: p = 0.062; fungi: p = 0.153) nor room/day fixed-effects sensitivity analyses (bacteria: p = 0.542; fungi: p = 0.447) showed significant associations between PM 10 and culturable bacterial or fungal concentrations. These findings demonstrate substantial room-specific heterogeneity in IAQ and provide a site-specific baseline for future multi-site studies and targeted ventilation, filtration, and IAQ management strategies in hospital waiting areas.
Objective We examined self-reported work-related injury and its association with ergonomic stressors among municipal solid waste collectors in The Gambia. Methods In a 2020 cross-sectional survey at Brikama Area Council (n=98) and Kanifing Municipal Council (n=107), we modelled the number of anatomical regions with a reported injury over 12 months (0 to 9) against a six-item ergonomic stressor count (0 to 6), using Poisson regression with robust standard errors; binary outcomes used modified Poisson regression. The outcome is an injury-site count, not a musculoskeletal disorder measure. Reporting followed STROBE. Results Work-related injury was reported by 93.2% of workers (95% CI 88.9 to 95.9) and injury in three or more regions by 78.0% (71.9 to 83.2; mean 4.27, SD 2.18). Each additional stressor was associated with a 14% higher region count (adjusted count ratio 1.14, 1.09 to 1.20; p<0.001), with predicted counts rising from 2.26 to 5.03 regions across the stressor range and a stronger association at longer tenure (interaction p<0.001). Gradients were broad, not anatomically specific, strongest at the head (prevalence ratio 1.46, 1.20 to 1.78) and tooth (1.34, 1.12 to 1.60), regions with no plausible ergonomic mechanism. The E-value was 1.55 (limit 1.39). Conclusion A higher stressor count was associated with injury at more anatomical regions. Because exposure and outcome were self-reported at a single time point and equally strong at anatomically implausible and load-bearing regions, the association cannot be interpreted as an ergonomic dose-response effect. This identifies a heavily burdened, unstudied workforce and motivates measurement with validated instruments.
Objective This study aimed to examine self-protective behaviors in pesticide use and identify factors associated with these behaviors among rice farmers in Phitsanulok Province, Lower Northern Thailand. Methods A Correlational study was conducted among 261 registered rice farmers selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.845) covering health literacy and self-protective practices. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. Results The majority of farmers (77.0%) possessed adequate health literacy (X̅ = 100.26, SD = 8.735). While 58.6% reported good self-protective practices, 41.4% were at a moderate level (X̅ = 35.17, SD = 2.513). Multiple regression analysis revealed that educational level, access to health information and services, and decision-making skills were significantly associated with protective behaviors ( R 2 = 0.305; adjusted R 2 = 0.271, p < 0.05). Access to health information exhibited the strongest positive association ( β = 0.343). Conclusion Although most farmers have adequate health literacy, risky practices persist. To enhance occupational safety, interventions should move beyond information dissemination to focus on strengthening decision-making skills and improving risk communication. Targeted practical training is essential for fostering safer agricultural practices.
