Prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and associated factors among adults in Durame town, Southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background

Undiagnosed hypertension is a major public health problem causing severe cardiovascular disorders that are responsible for a high proportion of morbidities and mortalities, especially among adults living in low-income countries. However, there is a paucity of information that describes its epidemiology in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and associated factors among adults in Durame town, southern Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2022. Data were collected from 526 randomly selected adults aged ≥18 years using a pre-tested questionnaire. The binary logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with undiagnosed hypertension.

Results

The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension among adults in Durame town, southern Ethiopia, was found to be 14.0% (95% CI: 11.2-17.1). Family history of hypertension [AOR = 6.9, 95% CI: (3.62, 13.27)], drinking too much alcohol [AOR = 5.7, 95% CI: (2.97, 10.75)], physical inactivity [AOR = 2.5, 95% CI: (1.34, 4.73)], consuming street foods regularly [AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: (1.28, 6.01)], and seeking healthcare for hypertensive symptoms without serious illness [AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: (1.28, 4.56)] were significantly associated with developing undiagnosed hypertension.

Conclusion

The study has revealed that one in seven adults had undiagnosed hypertension in the study area. Thus, interventions to prevent hypertension should target increasing awareness among people with a family history of hypertension, controlling excessive alcohol consumption, promoting physical exercise, regulating street food markets, and improving the health-seeking behavior of adults in urban settings.

Microbial levels on street foods and food preparation surfaces in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality

Background

The street food sector has become an important component of the food distribution system in many cities in both developing and industrialised countries, particularly for midday meals. However, certain street food can pose a significant risk to consumers because of microbiological contamination.

Aim

The aim of this study was to determine the microbial levels of street foods and preparation surfaces in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality.

Setting

The study selected study setting was vending sites close to taxi ranks where prepared meals were accessible to consumers.

Methods

The study was conducted in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality during the winter season. Samples were collected through convenience sampling from the representative towns Thaba Nchu, Botshabelo and Bloemfontein. Using swabs, surface samples were collected and quantified from selective media. Eight beef samples were also collected; the microbial load on each sample was quantified and identified using a RapID kit.

Results

The surface swabs obtained in Botshabelo (1.1 × 10⁴ cfu/m² – 1.1 × 10⁶ cfu/m²) showed higher microbial counts as compared to those obtained in Bloemfontein (1.1 × 10⁴ cfu/m² – 1.1 × 10⁵ cfu/m²) and Thaba Nchu (1.1 × 10⁴ cfu/m² – 1.1 × 10⁵ cfu/m²). Higher microbial counts were observed on meat samples sampled in Thaba Nchu (50 cfu/g x 10⁵ cfu/g), Bloemfontein (48 cfu/g x 10⁴ cfu/g) and Botshabelo (33 cfu/g x 10⁵ cfu/g) when compared to international microbiological standards. After assessing the microbial levels, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida guilliermondii, Corynebacterium jeikeium, Psychrobacter phenylpyruvicus and Peptostreptococcus tetradius were identified.

Conclusion

This study confirmed contamination of surfaces and food served by vendors in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality. The identified foodborne bacteria could pose a public health problem in each specific locality.

Bacteriological Quality of Street Foods and Antimicrobial Resistance of Isolates in Hawassa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Microbial contamination of ready-to-eat foods and beverages sold by street vendors and hawkers has become an important public health issue. In Ethiopia, health risks related to such kinds of foods are thought to be common. Thus, this study has tried to determine the bacteriological quality of ready- to- eat foods sold on streets.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on street foods in Hawassa City from May to September 2014. A total of 72 samples from six food items such as local bread ('ambasha' and 'kita'), raw fish, chilli ('awaze'), avocado and cooked potato were collected. Bacterial isolation, colony count and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were made following standard microbiological techniques.

RESULTS

About 31% of the food samples showed total colony counts ranging from 1.7×10⁵ to 6.7×10⁶ colony-forming unit per gram (CFU/g) which is beyond the acceptable limits set for microbiological quality of ready- to -eat foods. The mean coliform and Enterobacteriaceae counts in raw fish, 'kita' and 'ambasha' were also higher than the limits. E.coli was the most frequent isolate (29.6%) followed by Salmonella species (12.7% and S.aureus (9.9%). All isolates were 100% sensitive to ciprofloxacin. About 89% of Salmonella sp was resistant to chloramphenicol. Alarmingly, 14.3% of S.aureus was resistant to vancomycin.

CONCLUSION

This study confirmed considerable rate of contamination in street vended foods in Hawassa City. The identified foodborne bacteria and antibiotic resistance isolates could pose a public health problem in that locality. Therefore, regular inspection, health education and training of vendors on food handling and safety practices are recommended.

Nutritional contribution of street foods to the diet of people in developing countries: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To review studies examining the nutritional value of street foods and their contribution to the diet of consumers in developing countries.

DESIGN

The electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Proquest Health and Science Direct were searched for articles on street foods in developing countries that included findings on nutritional value.

RESULTS

From a total of 639 articles, twenty-three studies were retained since they met the inclusion criteria. In summary, daily energy intake from street foods in adults ranged from 13 % to 50 % of energy and in children from 13 % to 40 % of energy. Although the amounts differed from place to place, even at the lowest values of the percentage of energy intake range, energy from street foods made a significant contribution to the diet. Furthermore, the majority of studies suggest that street foods contributed significantly to the daily intake of protein, often at 50 % of the RDA. The data on fat and carbohydrate intakes are of some concern because of the assumed high contribution of street foods to the total intakes of fat, trans-fat, salt and sugar in numerous studies and their possible role in the development of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Few studies have provided data on the intake of micronutrients, but these tended to be high for Fe and vitamin A while low for Ca and thiamin.

CONCLUSIONS

Street foods make a significant contribution to energy and protein intakes of people in developing countries and their use should be encouraged if they are healthy traditional foods.

Are we indeed what we eat? Street food consumption in the Market Circle area of Takoradi, Ghana

The paper examines street foods consumption in the Market Circle of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. The data used for the study were obtained from individuals who were either purchasing or consuming street foods in the Market Circle in August of 2011. The results revealed that the average consumer makes use of street foods six times in a week and there was a penchant for carbohydrate based foods over other types of street foods. Reasons including cost saving, convenience and eating on credit were noted to underlie the consumption of street foods in the area. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the high consumption of street foods in the Market Circle was for reasons other than nutrition and health.

Foodborne pathogens recovered from ready-to-eat foods from roadside cafeterias and retail outlets in Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: public health implications

This study assessed the microbiological quality of various ready-to-eat foods sold in Alice, South Africa. Microbiological analysis was conducted on 252 samples which included vegetables, potatoes, rice, pies, beef and chicken stew. The isolates were identified using biochemical tests and the API 20E, API 20NE and API Listeria kits; results were analyzed using the one-way-ANOVA test. Bacterial growth was present in all the food types tested; high levels of total aerobic count were observed in vegetables, 6.8 ± 0.07 followed by rice, 6.7 ± 1.7 while pies had the lowest count (2.58 ± 0.24). Organisms isolated included: Listeria spp. (22%), Enterobacter spp. (18%), Aeromonas hydrophila (12%), Klebsiella oxytoca (8%), Proteus mirabilis (6.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (3.2%) and Pseudomonas luteola (2.4%). Interestingly, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were not isolated in any of the samples. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of foodborne pathogens from hygienic and unhygienic cafeterias. The results indicated that most of the ready-to-eat food samples examined in this study did not meet bacteriological quality standards, therefore posing potential risks to consumers. This should draw the attention of the relevant authorities to ensure that hygienic standards are improved to curtain foodborne infections.