Assessment of the Farmers’ Awareness about Occupational Safety and Health and Factors Affecting it; A Case Study in Mahidasht, Kermanshah Province

Authors
S. Moradhaseli 1
A.A. Mirakzadeh 2
F. Rostami 2
P. Ataei 3
1 Agricultural Extension & Education Department, Agriculture Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 Agricultural Extension & Education Department, Agriculture College, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
3 Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.29252/HEHP.6.1.23
Abstract
Aims: In Iran, safety and health education in agriculture such as the industrial sector has not been taken into account, and most farmers are not covered by professional health. The aim of this study was to assess the farmers’ awareness about occupational safety and health and factors affecting it.

Instruments & Methods: The population of the present descriptive correlational study included 140 households from farmers based on the simple random sampling method in 2014, in Mahidasht, Kermanshah Province, Iran. A researcher-made questionnaire was used as a research instrument and its validity was confirmed by the panel of experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The data were analyzed by SPSS 23, using multiple stepwise regression and Pearson correlation test.

Findings: Most of the farmers had a negative attitude towards the observance of occupational health issues. The mean awareness had a significant correlation with social status (r=0.47; p=0.001), satisfaction of the agriculture as an occupation (r=0.51; p=0.0001), attitude (r=0.37; p=0.012) and, economic status (r=0.42; p=0.005). In the first step, the social status and satisfaction of the agriculture as an occupation predicted 66.9% of variance of awareness. In the second step, social status and satisfaction of the agriculture as an occupation as well as attitude predicted 53.3% of variance of awareness, and in the third step, by adding economic status to the previous variables; all variables predicted 51.2% of variance of awareness.

Conclusion: The level of farmers’ awareness about occupational safety and health is moderate. Social status, attitude, and economic status affect the farmers’ awareness about occupational safety and health.

Keywords

Subjects

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Health Education and Health Promotion
Volume 6, Issue 1
Winter 2018
Pages 23-29