Plant Protection Products and Personal Protective Use Information, Attitude, Behavior of Turkish Farmers

The aim of this work is to examine the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of farmers about the use of plant protective products (PPPs) and personal protective equipment (PPE). This descriptive study was conducted in a village located in ？anakkale Ezine town, Marmara region of southern Turkey. The questionnaire was applied by face to face interview method. Criteria for inclusion in the research were determined as voluntary participation, being 18 years old or older and actively farming or previous active farming experience. 194 people were interviewed in the study. The data of 184 subjects were included in statistical analysis. By the study it was concluded that farmers knew the harmful effects of PPPs, but did not use adequate PPE. Total score data of PPPs behaviour were obtained from 11 questions. In further analysis, it was determined that total score data of PPPs behaviour increased with not doing livestock, knowing the harmful effects of PPPs and not experiencing discomfort after using PPPs in the last year. In order to protect human and environmental health should be undertaken multidisciplinary training on farmer-safe personal protective use and PPPs applications and the level of knowledge, attitude and behavior of farmers should be improved. Periodic monitoring of farmer health and safety may be useful