Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Levels About Pesticide Use of Farmers’ Children Who Are Studying in Agriculture Faculty

Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior Levels About Pesticide Use of Farmers’ Children Who Are Studying in Agriculture Faculty

Purpose: In our country, the number of researches questioning the knowledge of farmers' children of pesticides is very limited. The purpose of this study is to gain information about knowledge, attitude and behavior levels about pesticide use of farmers’ children who are studying in agriculture faculty. Methods: After obtaining the necessary official permits, study was conducted at Suleyman Demirel University between 3-7 October 2016. Survey was administered to students among Faculty of Agriculture whose family were farmer/producer. Of 400 students in the school, 69 students whose family were farmer/producer were interviewed. All of these students have been reached. Data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 software. Results: Of 69 students participated in the study, 46 (66.7%) was studying plant protection, 17 (24.6%) field crops, 3 (4.3%) agricultural economics, and 3 (4.3%) agricultural biotechnology. 33 (47.8%) of them made correct definition of pesticides while 36 (52.2%) could not. 64’s (92.8%) family were spraying production area, while 5 (7.2%) were not. Of these 64 students, 5 were choosing pestiside (7.8%) by prices, 6 (9.4%) by previously recommended use, 11 (17.2%) by previous experience, 24 (34.8%) by recommendation of consultants, 18 (28.1%) by recommendation of dealer. 48 out of 69 students who participated in the study (69.6%) were spraying them self, while 21 (30.4%) were not. Of spraying engaged 48 students, although 44 (91.7%) knew insecticides had harmful effects on human health, 13 (27.1%) weren’t using any personal protection during spraying. Conclusion: The level of awareness about pesticides of farmers' children who were studying agriculture faculty remained below expected. Despite pesticide use in their families, as well as receiving training in this regard, this lack of information will reveal concern about the reorganization of education program.     Keywords: farmer children, pesticide, knowledge
Keywords:

Knowledge,

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  • Tufan Nayir, Burak Kurt, Muhsin Akbaba, Ozan Demirözer, Asiye Uzun Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health ,Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine Department of Public Health , Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection