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Ssekkadde P, Tomberge VMJ, Brugger C, Atuhaire A, Dalvie MA, Rother HA, Röösli M, Inauen J, Fuhrimann S. Evaluating and Enhancing an Educational Intervention to Reduce Smallholder Farmers' Exposure to Pesticides in Uganda Through a Digital, Systematic Approach to Behavior Change: Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e55238. [PMID: 38718387 PMCID: PMC11112482 DOI: 10.2196/55238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Smallholder farmers receive educational interventions on safe pesticide handling by governmental agencies, industries, or nongovernmental organizations to reduce exposure risks. However, existing educational interventions have limited effects on changing behaviors. Targeting psychosocial determinants of behavior change in educational interventions through theory- and evidence-based approaches may enhance their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE We aim at describing the intervention development and study design of a 3-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial to assess the effects in improving safe pesticide handling and reducing pesticide exposure of (1) an existing educational intervention and (2) a newly developed SMS text messaging intervention based on the Risks, Attitudes, Norms, Abilities, and Self-regulation (RANAS) behavior change approach. METHODS We enrolled 539 Ugandan smallholder farmers in 12 clusters (subcounties). The clusters, each with 45 farmers, were randomly allocated to one of the three arms: (1) educational intervention, (2) educational intervention+RANAS-based SMS text messages, or (3) control group. The educational intervention comprised a 2-day workshop that targeted multiple aspects of safe pesticide handling, whereas the SMS text messages targeted the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and were based on the RANAS approach. For intervention development in this study, this approach includes identifying psychosocial determinants of PPE use at baseline and selecting behavior change techniques to target them in SMS text messages. The primary outcomes of the study are (1) pesticide knowledge, attitude, and practice scores indicating performance throughout the educational intervention; and (2) frequency of PPE use. Secondary outcomes are the RANAS-based behavioral determinants of PPE use, the frequency of glove use, algorithm-based pesticide exposure intensity scores, and signs and symptoms of pesticide poisoning. The outcomes were assessed in structured interviews before the intervention (baseline) and at the 12-month follow-up. The effect of the interventions among the arms will be analyzed using the intervention arms and baseline measures as predictors and the follow-up measures as outcomes in linear multivariable mixed models including the clusters as random effects. The mediating psychosocial determinants of the interventions will be assessed in multiple mediation models. RESULTS The study was conducted from 2020 to 2021-baseline interviews were conducted in October 2020, and the educational intervention was delivered in November 2020. The RANAS-based SMS text messages were developed based on the baseline data for relevant behavioral determinants of PPE use and sent between February 2021 and September 2021. Follow-up interviews were conducted in October 2021. Overall, 539 farmers were enrolled in the study at baseline; 8.3% (45/539) were lost to follow-up by the end of the study. CONCLUSIONS This study will contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness and behavior change mechanisms of educational interventions by using an experimental, cluster-randomized study design to improve pesticide handling among smallholder farmers. TRIAL REGISTRATION International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 18237656; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN18237656. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/55238.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Ssekkadde
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Vica Marie Jelena Tomberge
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Curdin Brugger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Aggrey Atuhaire
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Mohamed Aqiel Dalvie
- School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Hanna-Andrea Rother
- School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Martin Röösli
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Inauen
- Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Fuhrimann
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Tsakiris P, Damalas CA, Koutroubas SD. Safety behavior in pesticide use among farmers of northern Greece: the role of information sources. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:4335-4342. [PMID: 37380619 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Farmers' compliance with common safety practices in pesticide use (i.e., keeping records of pesticide applications, reading the information of pesticide labels, and taking protective measures during pesticide handling) and the use of information sources about pesticides were studied in a simple random sample of farmers in Evros Province, northern Greece. RESULTS According to the three common safety practices considered in the study, most farmers (56.9%) complied with safety practices. Nevertheless, a noticeable proportion of the farmers never kept records of pesticide applications (33.9%), never read the information of pesticide labels (20.2%), and never took protective measures during pesticide handling (24.8%). Farmers reported using up to six different sources of information about pesticides, but the majority (51.4%) reported using up to one source and almost one-third (33.9%) relied on own sources. The most common information source about pesticides was the staff of the agricultural supply stores, used by 88.1% of the farmers. Safety behavior was positively correlated with total sources of information (P < 0.01) and information by the agricultural supply stores (P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that safety behavior was reduced in females, whereas it was increased in farmers with high education, high number of plots, and high level of information sources. CONCLUSION Despite good levels of safety behavior by most farmers, keeping records of sprayings should be improved. Using multiple information sources about pesticides is crucial to improve safety behavior of farmers. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petros Tsakiris
- Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece
| | - Christos A Damalas
- Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece
| | - Spyridon D Koutroubas
- Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece
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Oltramare C, Weiss FT, Staudacher P, Kibirango O, Atuhaire A, Stamm C. Pesticides monitoring in surface water of a subsistence agricultural catchment in Uganda using passive samplers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:10312-10328. [PMID: 36074287 PMCID: PMC9898397 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22717-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides are intensely used in the agricultural sector worldwide including smallholder farming. Poor pesticide use practices in this agronomic setting are well documented and may impair the quality of water resources. However, empirical data on pesticide occurrence in water bodies of tropical smallholder agriculture is scarce. Many available data are focusing on apolar organochlorine compounds which are globally banned. We address this gap by studying the occurrence of a broad range of more modern pesticides in an agricultural watershed in Uganda. During 2.5 months of the rainy season in 2017, three passive sampler systems were deployed at five locations in River Mayanja to collect 14 days of composite samples. Grab samples were taken from drinking water resources. In these samples, 27 compounds out of 265 organic pesticides including 60 transformation products were detected. In the drinking water resources, we detected eight pesticides and two insecticide transformation products in low concentrations between 1 and 50 ng/L. Also, in the small streams and open fetch ponds, detected concentrations were generally low with a few exceptions for the herbicide 2,4-D and the fungicide carbendazim exceeding 1 ug/L. The widespread occurrence of chlorpyrifos posed the largest risk for macroinvertebrates. The extensive detection of this compound and its transformation product 3,4,5-trichloro-2-pyridinol was unexpected and called for a better understanding of the use and fate of this pesticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christelle Oltramare
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, 1066, Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Frederik T Weiss
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Staudacher
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Oscar Kibirango
- Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory (DGAL), Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Aggrey Atuhaire
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH), Kampala, Uganda
| | - Christian Stamm
- Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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Galli A, Winkler MS, Doanthu T, Fuhrimann S, Huynh T, Rahn E, Stamm C, Staudacher P, Van Huynh T, Loss G. Assessment of pesticide safety knowledge and practices in Vietnam: A cross-sectional study of smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE 2022; 19:509-523. [PMID: 35853141 DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2022.2100403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Over the past three decades, the Vietnamese Mekong Delta has experienced a significant increase in agricultural productivity, partly achieved through increased agrochemical use. To abate negative effects on human and environmental health, several national programs were launched to enhance safer pesticide use. This study aimed to assess the patterns and relationships of official sustainable agriculture educational programs, pesticide safety knowledge, and practices of smallholder farmers in the Mekong Delta. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 400 smallholder farmers from three communes in Thoi Lai district (Can Tho province) from March to May 2020. Twenty-four questions on pesticide safety knowledge and practices were used to identify traits using latent class analysis. Adjusted generalized linear regression was used to assess determinants of pesticide safety knowledge and estimate associations of pesticide safety knowledge with pesticide practices. 96.2% of participants have used at least one WHO class II pesticide during the past year while the use of specific personal protective equipment was limited mainly due to unavailability (37.0%) or discomfort (83.0%). High education (Odds Ratio (OR), 95% Confidence Interval; 3.84, 1.70-9.45), exposure to official educational programs (1.87, 1.13-3.12), peer-to-peer knowledge exchange (3.58, 2.18-6.00), and learning from governmental extension services (2.31, 1.14-4.98) were positively associated with increased pesticide safety knowledge. Compared to poor practices, pesticide safety knowledge was increasingly positively associated with intermediate (1.65, 1.02-2.66) and good pesticide practices (8.96, 2.58-31.12). These findings highlight the importance of school education and educational programs, access to PPE, and addressing discomforts of PPE to improve the protection of farmers from pesticide exposures. Simultaneously, pesticide market authorization processes should be reconsidered to promote the authorization of less toxic products. Further in-depth studies on the nature of pesticides used, nonuse of personal protective equipment, and effectiveness of educational programs will further define leverage points for safer pesticide use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Galli
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mirko S Winkler
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thuy Doanthu
- CISDOMA, The Consultative Institute for Socio-Economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Samuel Fuhrimann
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tuyen Huynh
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Eric Rahn
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Christian Stamm
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Staudacher
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Tung Van Huynh
- CISED, Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies, Can Tho, Vietnam
| | - Georg Loss
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Mueller W, Atuhaire A, Mubeezi R, van den Brenk I, Kromhout H, Basinas I, Jones K, Povey A, van Tongeren M, Harding AH, Galea KS, Fuhrimann S. Evaluation of two-year recall of self-reported pesticide exposure among Ugandan smallholder farmers. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2022; 240:113911. [PMID: 35030437 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate smallholder farmers' recall of pesticide use and exposure determinants over a two-year period in a low-income country context. METHODS The Pesticide Use in Tropical Settings (PESTROP) study in Uganda consists of 302 smallholder farmers who were interviewed in 2017. In the same season in 2019, these farmers were re-questioned concerning pesticide use (e.g., use of active ingredients) and exposure information (e.g., crops, personal protective equipment [PPE], hygienic behaviours) they had previously provided. The extent of recall bias was assessed by comparing responses at follow-up in 2019 with practices and behaviours reported from the baseline interview in 2017. RESULTS An 84% (n = 255) follow-up response rate was attained. We found instances of better recall (e.g., overall agreement >70% and Area Under the Curve (AUC) values > 0.7) for the use of some active ingredients, commonly used PPE items, and washing clothes after application, whereas only 13.3% could correctly recall their three major crops. We observed a trend where more individuals reported the use of active ingredients, while fewer reported the use of PPE items, two years later. In general, we found better agreement in the recall of years working with pesticides compared to hours per day or days per week in the field, with no apparent systematic over or under reporting by demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS While some of these findings provide consistency with those from high-income countries, more research is needed on recall in poorly educated agriculture communities in low- and middle-income settings to confirm these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Mueller
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
| | - Aggrey Atuhaire
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH), Kampala, Uganda
| | - Ruth Mubeezi
- Makerere University, School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Iris van den Brenk
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Hans Kromhout
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Ioannis Basinas
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Jones
- Health and Safety Executive, Buxton, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Povey
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Martie van Tongeren
- Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Karen S Galea
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel Fuhrimann
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands; Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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