Investigating Knowledge Level, Attitude and Practices of Farmers within the Health Center Coverage Area in Urmia County Regarding the Use of Paraquat in 2022

Assessing farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding paraquat usage, provides insights into the safe application of paraquat, and emphasizes the necessity of implementing educational programs for farmers if their level of knowledge, attitude, and practice are low. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the status of knowledge, attitude and practice of farmers toward the use of paraquat.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 288 farmers using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire comprising demographic information and questions assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice toward paraquat. Descriptive and analytical statistics were employed for data analysis.

Among the surveyed farmers, 71.9% had poor knowledge, 22.4% had medium knowledge, and 5.7% had good knowledge. Regarding attitude, 11.0% were classified as poor/negative, 44.5% as medium/neutral, and 44.5% as good/positive. In terms of practice, 10.3% exhibited poor, 27.0% medium, and 62.7% good practices in the safe use of paraquat. Significant relationship were observed between education levels with knowledge, attitude and practice, history of participating in educational programs related to pesticides and knowledge and attitude, as well residence and knowledge.

Given the poor knowledge of the surveyed farmers, which can lead to poor attitude and practice, it seems necessary to design and implement educational interventions aimed at improving their knowledge, attitude, and practice in the field of safe and correct use of paraquat. Designing and implementing programs to enhance farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the safe and correct use of paraquat is imperative.