Health promotion program for the safe use of pesticides in Thai farmers.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning the safe use of pesticides of Thai farmers in Don Kha subdistrict, Bang Phae district, Ratchaburi Province. Thirty-three voluntary Thai farmers of thirty-three farming families, recruited by convenience sampling, participated in a training program for six months. Data were collected by questionnaire interviews, and KAP on the safe use of pesticides were compared by paired t-test. Research findings showed that the mean scores of KAP in the posttest were significantly higher than the pretest. The results of this study provided health professionals with information to develop more effective prevention and intervention programs. To prevent illness, the most important role of health officers should to be focus on education and information for individuals, families, and communities.