Assessment of Hand Washing Practices and Their Relationship to Gastrointestinal Health Among Street Food Vendors in Sokoto Metropolis, North West Nigeria

Background: Street food vending is integral to urban food supply in Nigerian cities, yet poor hand hygiene among vendors constitutes a major pathway for enteric pathogen transmission. Physiological consequences of repeated gastrointestinal infections include malabsorption, growth faltering, and reduced mucosal barrier integrity. Data linking hand washing practices to gastrointestinal health outcomes among Sokoto vendors are absent. Objectives: This study aims to assess hand washing practices by structured observation and self-report, screen for gastrointestinal symptoms using a validated questionnaire, and compare hand surface bacterial colony counts between vendors with adequate and inadequate hand hygiene practices in Sokoto Metropolis. Methods: Eighty street food vendors will be recruited from five major food markets. Structured observational checklists will document hand washing frequency and technique. A gastrointestinal symptom questionnaire will capture diarrhoea, nausea, and abdominal pain frequency over the preceding month. Fingertip swab cultures will quantify aerobic colony counts. Chi-square tests and Mann-Whitney U tests will compare outcomes by hygiene practice groups. Expected Outcomes: Vendors with inadequate hand washing are anticipated to carry significantly higher bacterial counts and report greater gastrointestinal symptom frequency, reinforcing the hygiene-enteric health pathway. Conclusion: Findings will support targeted hygiene training for street food vendors as a public health intervention in North West Nigeria. Keywords: hand hygiene, gastrointestinal health, street food vendors, bacterial contamination, Sokoto.