Socio-demographic, agricultural, and personal protective factors in relation to health literacy among farmers from all regions of Thailand

Ratana Sapbamrer; Nalin Sittitoon; Sakesun Thongtip; Eakasit Chaipin; Chatchada Sutalangka; Aroon La-Up; Phiman Thirarattanasunthon; Ajchamon Thammachai; Boonsita Suwannakul; Noppharath Sangkarit; Amornphat Kitro; Jinjuta Panumasvivat; Taweewun Srisookkum

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1364296

Socio-demographic, agricultural, and personal protective factors in relation to health literacy among farmers from all regions of Thailand

Front Public Health. 2024 Mar 25:12:1364296. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1364296. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
² Environmental and Occupational Medicine Excellence Center (EnOMEC), Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
³ School of Environmental Health, Institute of Public Health, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
⁴ Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand.
⁵ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Science, Rajabhat Lampang University, Lampang, Thailand.
⁶ Department of Physical Therapy, School of Integrative Medicine, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
⁷ Nakhonsawan Campus, Mahidol University, Nakhonsawan, Thailand.
⁸ School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
⁹ Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand.
¹⁰ Department of Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand.

Abstract

Introduction: Farmers are vulnerable to adverse health effects from pesticide exposure due to their health literacy (HL). Therefore, this study aims to investigate HL among farmers in four main regions of Thailand, investigating socio-demographics, agricultural, and personal protective factors to their HL.

Methods: This cross-sectional design study was conducted on 4,035 farmers from January to July 2023. The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire-47 items were used to measure HL.

Results: Thai farmers had a mean HL score of 34.7 ± 8.7, and the farmers in the North region of Thailand had the highest frequency of limited HL (75.8%). Socio-demographic factors that were associated with HL included gender, region of living, marital status, education level, co-morbidity, and number of family members. Agricultural factors associated with HL included planting status, working hours on farm, spraying pesticides, harvesting crops, pesticide use of >1 type, access information from government officers, access information from posters/brochures, information from online multimedia, and access information from neighbors. Personal protective factors that were associated with HL included wearing a hat, goggles, a rubber apron, and a long-sleeved shirt.

Discussion: Our study recommends that strategies and interventions to enhance the HL of farmers should be focused on the target populations, which include men, widows, or divorced, those with low levels of education, those who have co-morbidities, and those who applied pesticides of more than 1 type and improper personal protective equipment (PPE) use. The primary emphasis needs to be on the North region of Thailand, making that the target area to improve health equity in Thailand. These efforts would enhance the HL of farmers and sustainably improve pesticide safety behavior. Additionally, there is an urgent need for supportive measures aimed at altering on-farm practices and promoting education on alternative pest management strategies, particularly non-chemical crop protection, to ensure sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: agricultural worker; farmer; health literacy; personal protective behavior; pesticide.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Agriculture
Cross-Sectional Studies
Demography
Farmers
Health Literacy*
Humans
Male
Occupational Exposure* / adverse effects
Pesticides*
Protective Factors
Thailand

Substances

Pesticides

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (Grant Nos. 65–66 and 114–66).