Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania.
<h4>Background</h4>Antimicrobial residues (ABs) in foods contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a major public health concern around the world. Understanding food production practices concerning antimicrobial use and consumer awareness on the possibi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2022-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272763 |
| _version_ | 1798004356399759360 |
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| author | Richard John Mongi Eugene Benjamin Meshi Julius Edward Ntwenya |
| author_facet | Richard John Mongi Eugene Benjamin Meshi Julius Edward Ntwenya |
| author_sort | Richard John Mongi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Antimicrobial residues (ABs) in foods contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a major public health concern around the world. Understanding food production practices concerning antimicrobial use and consumer awareness on the possibility of ABs in foods is necessary for developing mitigation strategies. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the production practices and awareness among eggs and Chinese cabbage consumers in Dodoma city.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire and checklist to collect data on awareness and production practices from 420 consumers, 30 chicken egg farmers, and 30 Chinese cabbage farmers in eight city wards.<h4>Findings</h4>About 42% of consumers of eggs and Chinese cabbages were not aware of the likelihood of antimicrobial residues in these foods. The awareness was significantly influenced by the consumer's educational level (p = 0.001) and geographical location (p = 0.045), with educated and urban consumers being 7.7 and 1.6 times more informed than their uneducated and peri-urban counterparts. Furthermore, the majority of chicken farmers raised more layers than broilers, and they all used antimicrobial drugs, mainly tetracycline and its variants, to treat and prevent diseases. The findings also revealed that many vegetable producers utilized wastes from animals treated with antimicrobials as manure to amend the soil.<h4>Conclusion</h4>In a view of the findings, a considerable number of egg and Chinese cabbage consumers in Dodoma city were unaware on the likelihood of antimicrobial residues in these foods from their production practices. All chicken farmers utilized antimicrobial drugs mainly tetracycline and its derivatives, for the treatment and prevention of diseases while vegetable producers used wastes from animals treated with antimicrobials as soil manure. Therefore, initiatives to inform farmers and consumers about the possibility of antimicrobial residues in these foods and their related public health risks upon long-term consumption are strongly advised. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T12:23:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-484e48575df6448d99cbd26c7f507f32 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T12:23:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-484e48575df6448d99cbd26c7f507f322022-12-22T04:24:02ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01178e027276310.1371/journal.pone.0272763Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania.Richard John MongiEugene Benjamin MeshiJulius Edward Ntwenya<h4>Background</h4>Antimicrobial residues (ABs) in foods contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a major public health concern around the world. Understanding food production practices concerning antimicrobial use and consumer awareness on the possibility of ABs in foods is necessary for developing mitigation strategies. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the production practices and awareness among eggs and Chinese cabbage consumers in Dodoma city.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire and checklist to collect data on awareness and production practices from 420 consumers, 30 chicken egg farmers, and 30 Chinese cabbage farmers in eight city wards.<h4>Findings</h4>About 42% of consumers of eggs and Chinese cabbages were not aware of the likelihood of antimicrobial residues in these foods. The awareness was significantly influenced by the consumer's educational level (p = 0.001) and geographical location (p = 0.045), with educated and urban consumers being 7.7 and 1.6 times more informed than their uneducated and peri-urban counterparts. Furthermore, the majority of chicken farmers raised more layers than broilers, and they all used antimicrobial drugs, mainly tetracycline and its variants, to treat and prevent diseases. The findings also revealed that many vegetable producers utilized wastes from animals treated with antimicrobials as manure to amend the soil.<h4>Conclusion</h4>In a view of the findings, a considerable number of egg and Chinese cabbage consumers in Dodoma city were unaware on the likelihood of antimicrobial residues in these foods from their production practices. All chicken farmers utilized antimicrobial drugs mainly tetracycline and its derivatives, for the treatment and prevention of diseases while vegetable producers used wastes from animals treated with antimicrobials as soil manure. Therefore, initiatives to inform farmers and consumers about the possibility of antimicrobial residues in these foods and their related public health risks upon long-term consumption are strongly advised.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272763 |
| spellingShingle | Richard John Mongi Eugene Benjamin Meshi Julius Edward Ntwenya Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. PLoS ONE |
| title | Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. |
| title_full | Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. |
| title_fullStr | Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. |
| title_short | Consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and Chinese cabbage in Dodoma, Central Tanzania. |
| title_sort | consumer awareness and production practices of farmers on antimicrobial residues in chicken eggs and chinese cabbage in dodoma central tanzania |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272763 |
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