Educational needs assessment among farmers in occupational health fields

The development and implementation of effective safety educational program for minimizing hazards in a farm, is the most important activity that can be done to improve safety level there. This program, however, requires to needs assessment process. So, the present study was designed to analyze of the educational needs of farmers in the field of agricultural occupational health.

This quantitative study was conducted with a survey method. Statistical population consisted of farmers in Mahidasht County, Kermanshah Province, Iran (N =213), where 140 farmers was selected as sample by simple random sampling method and base on Krejcie & Morgan table. Research instrument was research made questionnaire that its validity confirmed by a panel of experts and the reliability was confirmed through a pilot study and calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. SPSS/16 software was used for data analysis.

Findings showed that educations in the field of occupational health were done neither sufficient nor according to the principles. Educational needs identified in the area included exposure to noise, exposure to dust, ergonomic issues, compliance with hygiene and protection principles in spraying, individual protection in working with tractors and other machinery.

Dangers of farming in one hand and the lack of appropriate education and  the farmers’ dissatisfaction in the other hand, has highlighted the necessity of implementing correct eductional programs according to needs assessment principles in Mahidasht County. In this regard, considering the knowledge and occupational health behaviors of the studied farmers, they need to receive education in most areas of health, among which, environmental hazards (sun and noise, dust on farms), ergonomic issues, proper and safe use of chemical input and adherence to safety principles in working with agricultural machinery are considered priorities.