Pesticide Exposure Preventive Behaviors Among Vegetable farmers in The Tenth Health Region in Thailand and its Related Factors
Keywords:
Vegetable farmers, Pesticide exposure preventive behavior, Health literacyAbstract
Vegetable farmers are at risk of health hazards from the use of pesticides. This study aims to explore factors associated with pesticide exposure preventive behavior among vegetable farmers in the 10th Health Region in Thailand. Subjects were 394 vegetable farmers. Data were collected by using questionnaires and cholinesterase reactive test. Statistics used for data analysis were mean, standard deviation, frequency, chi-square, Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression.
Results showed that 77.2 % of vegetable farmers had pesticide exposure preventive behavior at a high level. According to the cholinesterase enzyme in blood, it was found that 8.4% of them had a blood test result indicating that they were at risk and 2.0% had blood test at unsafe level . Variables that could predict pesticides exposure preventive behavior among vegetable farmers were health literacy, gender, support from governmental officers and village health volunteers, and income altogether could explain 51.2% of variance in pesticides exposure preventive behavior among vegetable farmers (p-value < 0.01).
Findings suggest that Ministry of Public Health should formulate policy and guideline to enhance health literacy and developing a health literacy program to promote pesticides exposure preventive behavior for vegetable farmers.
References
Miangmuk P, Praneewattakul S, Pojanasin J. Pesticide Use Behaviors and Risk Attitude of Vegetable Farmers in Pathum Thani province. Khon Kaen Agriculture Journal 2016; 44 (3) : 417-426. (in Thai)
Food and Drug Administration. National Chemicals Management Strategic Plan, 4th Edition (2012-2021). Vol. 2011. Nonthaburi: Thailand Agricultural Cooperative Assembly Limited. (in Thai)
Office of Policy and Strategy Ministry of Public Health. Pesticide Poisoning Report [Internet]. [cited 2018 Mar 8]. Available from: https://hdcservice.moph.go.th/hdc/reports/page. (in Thai)
Suebsimma C, Silawan2 T, Khansakorn N. Pesticides Use and Personal Protective Behaviour, Adverse Health Effects among Chilli Farm Sprayers: A Case Study in Suan Kluai Sub-District, Kantharalak District, Sisaket Province. Thai J Toxicol [Internet]. 2017 Jun. 30 [cited 2023 Feb. 23];32(1):9-26.Available from: https://li01.tci-thaijo.org (in Thai)
Moradhaseli, S, Sadighim H, & Ataei P. Investigation of the farmers’ Safety and Protective Behavior to Use Pesticides in the Farms. [cited 2018 Aug 8];2017. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication.
Strong, L L, Thompson B, Koepsell T D, & Meischke, H. Factors Associated With Pesticide Safety Practices in Farmworkers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2008(51):69–81.
Strategy and Planning Division. Regional Health Report of Thai People 2012-2017 [Internet]. 2018 [cited on 28 December 2018]. Available at: dmsic.moph.go.th/index/detail/7717
Green lW, Kreuter MW. Health program planning: An educational and ecological approach. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2005
Daniel, W W. Biostatistics : A foundation for analysis in the health sciences (8th ed.). 2005; New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Nutbeam D. The evolving concept of health literacy. Social Science & Medicine 2008; 67(12): 2072-8.doi10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.09.050.
Bureau of Occupational and Environmental Diseases. Handbook of Occupational Health Services for Public Health Officers: Farmer's Health Clinic [Internet]. 3rd ed. Vol. 2015. Nonthaburi: Agricultural Cooperative Assembly of Thailand; Available from: http://envocc.ddc.moph.go.th.
Sangamnatcharoen T. A study of knowleage attitude and behavior the use agriculturist of
agrochemicals in Rammasak subdistrict municipality Pho Thong district, Ang Thong province. Academic Journal of Hospitals/Hospitals Area 4 2013 ; 15(3) : 211-218. (in Thai)
Sriwirat S, Kaewsanit S. Factors associated with serum cholinesterase levels of farmers in Songkhla Province. Dis Control J [Internet]. 2015 Jun. 30 [cited 2023 Feb. 23];41(2):130-41. Available from: https://he01.tci-thaijo.org (in Thai)
Pluemchan N, Khansakorn N. Factors Associated with Blood Cholinesterase Enzyme Level of Agricultural Workers in Ko-Chan Sub-district, Ko-Chan District, Chonburi Province. Thai J Toxicol [Internet]. 2015 Dec. 31 [cited 2023 Feb. 23];30(2):128-41. Available from: https://li01.tci thaijo.org (in Thai)
Nutbeem D. The evolving concept of Health Literacy. Social Science & Medicine. 2008; 67: 2072-2078.
KaewdumkeiangK,Theepejsriurai N. HealthLiteracy. Bangkok: New Thammada Printing House; 2011. (in Thai).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Thai Public Health Nurses Association
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
บทความที่ตีพิมพ์และแผนภูมิรูปภาพถือเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของวารสารพยาบาลสาธารณสุข (Thai Public Health Nurses Association)
