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Volume 9, Issue 1, January - March 2023
31
Public Health of Indonesia
E-ISSN: 2477-1570 | P-ISSN: 2528-1542
Review Article
Safe action in using pesticide among farmers: A
scoping review
Putranto Manalu1, Victor Trismanjaya Hulu2*, Frans Judea Samosir3, Buenita1, Hartono4, Santy Deasy
Siregar5, Masryna Siagian6, Widya Yanti Sihotang4, and Emira Nadiah Harahap4
1 Department of Health Management, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia
2 Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia
3 Department of Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia
4 Department of Health Environment, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia
5 Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan,
Indonesia
6 Department of Public Health Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36685/phi.v9i1.660
Received: 19 December 2022 | Revised: 7 February 2023 | Accepted: 8 March 2023
Corresponding author:
Victor Trismanjaya Hulu
Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health
Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan 20112, Indonesia
Email: victortrismanjayahulu@unprimdn.ac.id
Copyright: © 2023 the Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: Pesticides can poison users if they do not follow pesticide use standards. This is because the
active substances in these pesticide products can cause acute pain.
Objective: The study aimed to identify the factors of safe behavior in using pesticides in farmers.
Methods: This study employed a scoping review method. The literature search was carried out on the indexed
databases of Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Free Medical Journals, and ProQuest in
English. There were 450 research articles, and 15 met the inclusion criteria. From the 15 journals, information
was collected from the publication year 2015-2021, article titles, design, population, interventions, and results.
Relevant study articles related to the topics were qualitatively analyzed using NVIVO-12 Plus.
Results: The analysis showed that knowledge, safe behavior of using pesticides, farmers’ education, and
personal protective equipment are the dominant factors influencing the safe behavior of using pesticides on
farmers.
Conclusion: Farmers who do not comply with safe behavior will have a higher health risk because of the
toxicity of pesticides that can be directly inhaled and enter through the pores of the farmers’ skin.
Keywords: safe behavior; pesticides; farmers; scoping review
Background
Pesticides have been used to eliminate pests and
weeds in the last few decades with the intention of
increasing agricultural product production could
improve (Popp, 2018). Still, farmers can be poisoned
by pesticides during mixing, loading, spraying, and
cleaning equipment since the active substances in
pesticide products could have serious health
consequences (e.g., mild or severe intoxication), not
to mention the long-term health effects because
pesticides do not have specific toxic effects
(Sapbamrer & Thammachai, 2020; Suryani et al.,
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2020; Tarmure et al., 2020). Most people die from
exposure to pesticides every year worldwide.
Moreover, this incident happened to farmers who did
not attach importance to safe behavior while working
(Buckley et al., 2021). A total of 220,000 deaths
have occurred in the agricultural sector (Fan et al.,
2015; Kaur et al., 2019). Most often reported
pesticide-related poisoning symptoms were
migraine (73.8%), skin rashes (62.3%), eye pain
(32.8%), fatigue (22.4%), and muscle pain (19.1
percent) (Bhandari et al., 2018). In fact, pesticide
poisoning ranks in the top five nationally in Indonesia
(Mahyuni et al., 2020).
Pesticide misuse is associated with a lack of
education on safe behavior in pesticide use and
farmers’ reluctance to accept the risk of losing crops
when not using pesticides (Ali et al., 2018; Coria &
Elgueta, 2022; Jallow et al., 2017). A lack of
knowledge regarding pesticides’ negative
consequences and the farmers’ lack of concern for
their own health exacerbates this condition (Bagheri
et al., 2019; Oztas et al., 2018). Research in Iran
shows that almost half of the farmers have a
negative attitude toward the use of pesticides.
Meanwhile, farmers who have experience and use
large areas of land show a more positive attitude
towards pesticides (Bondori et al., 2018). Farmers’
perceptions and attitudes about the benefits of PPE
are also closely correlated with the willingness to
use PPE as protective behavior (Morad Haseli et al.,
2014; Sharifzadeh et al., 2019). There is a much
higher chance of implementing pesticide safety uses
by commercial farmers who know the color coding
on the pesticide label (Sapbamrer & Thammachai,
2020).
Various previous studies on pesticide use behavior
have been carried out. However, it is essential to
conduct and summarize the literature on the
determinants of the low level of safe behavior among
pesticide-using farmers. Given the low probability of
increasing the problem of unsafe behavior and
increasing the risk of poisoning in farmers, farmers’
unsafe behavior with pesticides must be addressed
immediately. This research is expected to contribute
to a deeper understanding of the safe behavior of
using pesticides among farmers. The main research
question of this review is what are the factors for
safe behavior by farmers when using pesticides at
work? Therefore, this review aims to investigate and
summarize the scientific evidence on the related
factors of the safe behavior of farmers using
pesticides. Thus, it can improve the research that
has been done previously related to the behavior of
using pesticides among farmers.
Methods
Study Design
This study used a methodological framework of Xiao
and Watson (2019) to conduct a scoping review.
Search Strategies
This study seeks to find relevant articles related to
determinants of safe behavior in the use of
pesticides on farmers. Search articles using the
journal database indexed by Google Scholar,
Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Free Medical
Journals, Pro-Quest, and search strategies using
English keywords (“determinant” OR “impact factor”)
AND (‘behavior” OR “attitude” OR “action”) AND
(“secure” OR “awake” OR “protected”) AND
(“pesticide” OR “pest poison”) AND (“the farmer” OR
“cultivator” OR “planter” OR “peasants”).
Eligibility Criteria
The inclusion criteria in this study are articles
published in the 2015-2021 range, full text, and in
English, with a cross-sectional design, explanatory
sequential, and case studies. Of the 450 journal
articles that have been identified from various
databases, 15 journal articles meet the inclusion
criteria.
Identification and Selection of Studies
Journal articles that are not full text, preprinted
journals, and not peer-reviewed are excluded. In
addition, manuscripts currently in the proofreading
stage are not included because there is a possibility
of changes in the results of research reporting.
Figure 1 presents the PRISMA diagram of the
procedure for selecting research articles.
Data Extraction from Included Studies
Data extraction was carried out in several steps. The
first step was to summarize 15 selected articles,
including the name of the author and the year of
publication, journal volume, journal title, research
methods used, research results, and journal
database sources. Then, they were organized in the
form of a synthetic matrix table. The second step
was to arrange questions related to the topic to
make it easier for the author to determine the subtitle
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of the discussion by looking at the results of
research summaries from 15 journals that have
been determined. The third step was to discuss and
explain facts, theories, and opinions about the
research results and how the research in the article
was obtained. Finally, an explanation of the research
results with the relevant theory was explained in the
theoretical discussion.
Data Analysis
Relevant study articles related to the identified topics
were systematically reviewed and qualitatively
analyzed using NVIVO-12 Plus.
Figure 1 PRISMA Search flowchart
Results
All studies in this review assess the factors that
influence how safely farmers may behave when
using pesticides. Still, they have to prioritize
personal health and safety while working. To avoid
diseases caused by the use of the wrong pesticides
and environmental pollution due to excessive use of
pesticides, it is necessary to encourage farmers to
implement safe behavior by wearing the right PPE
when working. Table 1 shows articles in this study
that have met the inclusion criteria published in the
2015-2021 range from various journal databases.
Table 1 Summary of articles that have met the inclusion criteria according to research objectives
No.
Author
(Year)
Method
Results
Database
1.
Hashim et
al. (2020)
Cross-
Sectional
Attitude is the most influential factor in the behavior of farmers, with
an R square of 0.671. Subjective norm contributed to some of the
variance in behavior (β = 0.331) as this factor encourages farmers to
apply better farming practices due to social pressure from relatives,
friends, neighbors, and government agencies. This is followed by
perceived behavioral control with (β = 0.239).
Google
Scholar
2.
Bagheri et
al. (2019)
Case Study
The crucial factor influencing apple producers’ pesticide usage
behavior was knowledge of pesticide use (0.62), attitudes (0.50), and
perceptions (0.50). Furthermore, knowledge influenced attitudes
toward pesticide usage, and attitudes influenced perceptions.
Google
Scholar
3.
Mahyuni et
al. (2020)
Explanatory
Sequential
Design
Even though some farmers demonstrate behavior inconsistent with
their attitude, the predisposing factors of knowledge, perception,
routine, tradition, and standing in society are significant to dangerous
behavior.
Scopus
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Table 1 (Cont.)
4.
Fan et al.
(2015)
Case Study
Grain farmers have a lower degree of education and expertise than
vegetable and fruit growers, and fruit growers are less eager to use
fewer pesticides due to concerns about low earnings, a lack of faith in
the government, and a distrust of pesticide diluents. Farmers were
significantly affected by their perceived behavioral consequences.
Science
Direct
5.
Berni et al.
(2021)
Cross-
Sectional
With a high level of pesticide knowledge and the perceived severity
of the related health hazards, adherence to safety practices when
handling pesticides increased dramatically. On the other hand,
uncertainty regarding the hazards of pesticide use was linked to a
decreased chance of implementing safety measures.
Science
Direct
6.
Jallow et al.
(2017)
Case Study
Pesticides are a risk to the environment and human health, with
younger farmers being more concerned than older farmers.
Scopus
7.
Mazloomy
Mahmooda
bad et al.
(2019)
Cross-
Sectional
Participants got 60% on the test with a mean score of 25.64 out of
38. Perceived susceptibility was 32.72 out of 55, perceived severity
was 33.53 out of 55, perceived benefits were 25.99 out of 30, and
perceived obstacles were 17.99 out of 30.
Free
Medical
Journals
8.
Sharifzadeh
et al. (2019)
Case Study
Overall, four aspects of safety behavior had higher mean ratings for
importance than for current usage, showing that farmers’ judgments
of the relevance of various types of safety precautions during
pesticide application were not completely reflected in their behaviors.
Science
Direct
9.
Bhandari et
al. (2018)
Case Study
Farmer education affects the safety behavior. Most farmers do not
wear PPE properly because of feeling hampered while working.
Around 82% did not receive training for Farming with Pesticides
because no program made good training on the use of pesticides.
Science
Direct
10.
Pan et al.
(2020)
Case Study
Farmers’ views of pesticide dangers to profit-maximizing criteria,
such as food quality and human health, can reduce pesticide
spending. Their opinions of environmental dangers, such as soil
deterioration, water pollution, and air pollution, on the other hand, are
not significantly linked to pesticide spending.
Science
Direct
11.
Ali et al.
(2018)
Case Study
Pesticides were known to be very dangerous to the quality of
agricultural products, the environment, and human health by the
majority of vegetable growers, but not by rice or mixed crop growers.
In general, perceptions of the effects of farmers’ behavior and
knowledge of pesticide usage influenced PBs favorably, whereas
knowledge of pesticide use influenced PBs adversely.
Science
Direct
12.
Miyittah et
al. (2020)
Case Study
The farmers had varying degrees of health-related problems.
Headaches, burning feelings, fever, wet eyes, chest pains, and other
health problems are all possible side effects.
ProQuest
13.
Gesesew et
al. (2016)
Cross-
Sectional
Among the participants, at least one pesticide control approach was
known by 54.4 percent (95 percent confidence interval: 50.7–58
percent), and 53.7 percent had good sentiments concerning the safe
use of pesticides. The average attitude score was found to be 3.9
(0.4). The names of pesticides, pest control methods, and the use of
gloves during pesticide exposure were found to be an independent
predictor of farmers’ attitudes about the safe use of pesticides.
ProQuest
14.
Oztas et al.
(2018)
Cross-
Sectional
Only 4.3% farmers used designated trash cans or facilities to dispose
of empty pesticide containers; 84.0% believed pesticides were
harmful to human health, 5.0% had had a medical condition, and
1.0% had been poisoned after using pesticides.
ProQuest
15.
Rostami et
al. (2019)
Cross-
Sectional
Burning eyes and dizziness were the most prevalent pesticide
poisoning symptoms. However, the majority of them lacked
appropriate information. Many farmers had the right mindset when it
came to using personal protection equipment. However, 37.4 percent
of them said it is difficult to wear personal protective equipment.
Farmers’ use of personal protection equipment was shown to be
related to their knowledge and attitude (p <0.001).
ProQuest
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Figure 2 shows 15 articles that met the inclusion
criteria, and as many as 31.33% were published in
2020. Most of the research designs used a case
study research design of 53.33%. The sampling
technique was quite diverse, and the most widely
used was the simple random sampling technique, as
much as 53.33%.
Figure 2 General characteristics for study selection (n = 15)
Table 2 shows the parameters affecting farmers’
safe pesticide use from various reference sources.
In the study of Hashim et al. (2020), subjective
norms contributed to some of the variances in
behavior (β = 0.331). This factor encourages
farmers to implement better agricultural practices
with social support from relatives, friends,
neighbors, and government agencies and refers to
the ability of farmers to meet good application
guidelines for pesticides. Finally, the perception of
vulnerability with (β = 0.073) means that farmers
who feel vulnerable to specific health problems will
engage in behaviors to reduce health risks when
applying pesticides to their crops. In addition, the
study by Pan et al. (2020) shows their perception of
food quality and human health risks can also reduce
the effect and have a positive attitude toward
pesticide spending.
Furthermore, the study by Bhandari et al. (2018)
about safe work behavior in farmers shows that
individuals are less likely to follow suggestions for
healthy behavior if they do not feel the benefits of the
behavior. This then makes the perception that
benefits affect safe work behavior and is
strengthened by the Chi-Square test results (p =
0.025), meaning a relationship exists between
perceived benefits and safe work behavior. In
addition, the Chi-Square test results of self-efficacy
(p = 0.000) are also essential in encouraging
someone to perform safe behavior. The same is
supported by the research of Fan et al. (2015), which
states that the level of farmer confidence (self-
efficacy) should be increased again. Pesticide
sellers should provide clear information on pesticide
use standards to farmers.
The most important thing for creating safe practices
for farmers using pesticides is the knowledge
described in previous studies (Ali et al., 2018; Berni
et al., 2021; Fan et al., 2015; Gesesew et al., 2016;
Hashim et al., 2020; Mahyuni et al., 2020; Miyittah
et al., 2020; Rostami et al., 2019), which states that
knowledge about the use of pesticides has a
significant role. This indicates that to promote safe
pesticide handling practices, farmers’ knowledge
about pesticide usage should be the primary focus
of interventions, which should be complemented by
skills, technology, proper applications, and
infrastructure.
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Table 2 The related factors of safe behavior of farmers using pesticides
Related Factors
Main Empirical Sources
Behavior, behavior control, farmers’ ability to meet pesticide application
standards, knowledge, and law enforcement.
Hashim et al. (2020)
knowledge, education, family support, and training.
Bagheri et al. (2019)
Farmers’ training, knowledge, provision of PPE, work tools, and support from
community leaders.
Mahyuni et al. (2020)
Knowledge, level of education, use of PPE, age, government support and
training, and self-efficacy.
Fan et al. (2015)
Knowledge, perceived health consequences, social support, and training.
Berni et al. (2021)
Integrated pest control training, education level training.
Jallow et al. (2017)
Level of consciousness, sensitivity, level of education, use of PPE.
Mazloomy Mahmoodabad et al.
(2019)
Government support for the provision of PPE, education, self-consumed
produce, perceived health risks, routine health checks, and training for farmer
skills development.
Sharifzadeh et al. (2019)
Education, the role of pesticide sellers as providing information on appropriate
use, perceived health risks
Bhandari et al. (2018)
Attitude, risk perception
Pan et al. (2020)
Knowledge level, perception of health consequences, government support,
and the role of pesticide sellers in providing information on appropriate use.
Ali et al. (2018)
Knowledge and the role of pesticide sellers in providing information on proper
use.
Miyittah et al. (2020)
Knowledge, awareness of the use of PPE, awareness of the adverse effects of
pesticides, and attitudes.
Gesesew et al. (2016)
Use of PPE and personal hygiene, training on the use of pesticides.
Oztas et al. (2018)
Knowledge, attitude
Rostami et al. (2019)
Discussion
All studies in this review assess the parameters that
affect farmers’ safe use of pesticides and still have
to prioritize personal health and safety while
working. To avoid diseases caused by the use of the
wrong pesticides and environmental pollution due to
excessive use of pesticides, it is necessary to
encourage farmers to implement safe behavior by
wearing the right PPE when working.
Knowledge of Safe Behavior Using Pesticides
Of the 15 journal articles in the literature review,
there are 11 articles describing the knowledge factor
on the inappropriate use of pesticides. Farmers’ lack
of information and incorrect activity can impair their
health by exposing them to pesticides and causing
disorders linked to diet owing to pesticide residues
in produce (Damalas et al., 2006). Several
symptoms that appear acute and chronic are
considered the leading causes of farmer failure,
such as research by Gaber and Abdel-Latif (2012),
which states that 4.0% of farmers have experienced
poisoning, and Hurtig et al. (2003) reported that
acute poisoning affected 51.8 percent of farmers. In
addition, age is also an essential factor for farmers
concerning years of service in using inappropriate
chemical pesticides. Thus, it is widely accepted that
knowledge, age, and years of service encourage
pesticide use behavior (Akter et al., 2018). They
were measured based on their knowledge of
pesticide overuse, reading of pesticide packaging
labels, knowledge of pesticide toxicity, and health
risks posed to agricultural workers. Farmers in
Palestine know the practice of using pesticides that
are wrong and have a terrible impact on health as
much as 85%, while in Brazil, as many as 92% of
farmers have knowledge about pesticide practices
and state that the use of wrong pesticides will affect
health (Recena et al., 2006; Zyoud et al., 2010).
The high impact of pesticides occurs on female
farmers with poor health status with long-term
planting work. Meanwhile, male farmers are more
involved in the agricultural management decision-
making process. Female farmers only work as
workers due to a lack of education and less
familiarity with pesticide application technology, so
they use pesticides more in agricultural production.
For farmers, improper or excessive pesticide use
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does not result in greater crop yields. However,
when the number of pesticides used by farmers
exceeds the recommended dosage on pesticide
product labels, the potential for adverse effects on
human health and the environment increases
(Jallow et al., 2017). Therefore, knowledge of
pesticide use is the most crucial aspect influencing
farmers’ willingness to utilize pesticides. Thus, a
high degree of pesticide awareness among farmers
will have a major impact on pesticide use. The study
of Damalas and Koutroubas (2017) said that farmers
who are well-informed about pesticides are likely to
be able to act safely in the use of pesticides to
achieve safe behavior. They can also avoid the
dangers of using pesticides that are not appropriate,
and the behavior of these farmers will vary from
region to region. The study by Ahmed et al. (2011);
Shammi et al. (2020) shows that each group of
farmers will have different perceptions about the use
of pesticides and attitudes because they have
different families and neighbors.
The combination of knowledge, behavior, and years
of service of incorrect and excessive pesticide use
among farmers has created a danger of declining
performance and has a high impact on health (Singh
& Gupta, 2009). The lack of knowledge of using
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) related to
pesticides can also damage the environment
through spraying and soil seepage activities. The
study by Ali et al. (2018); Berni et al. (2021);
Mahyuni et al. (2020); Oztas et al. (2018) reported
that many respondents in their study had less
education and also high illiteracy rates pesticide-
using farmers. Therefore, it poses an increased
health risk in some developing countries, such as
Egypt at 55%, Kenya at 24%, and China at 22.8%
(Ibitayo, 2006; Kimani & Mwanthi, 1995; Yang et al.,
2014). Farmers’ lack of knowledge about using
personal protective equipment at work, personal
hygiene behavior at work, and smoking and eating
habits when using pesticides may result in farmers
being exposed to skin/eye irritation. This is because
they are unsafe at work, like watermelon growers in
the Central region of Ghana and grain growers in
Northern China (Fan et al., 2015; Miyittah et al.,
2020). Experienced farmers believe that long-term
use of pesticides is not harmful to them. They also
consider themselves immune to the harmful effects
of pesticides. As a result, they do not take necessary
preventive actions into account.
Lack of farmer knowledge, education, awareness of
safe pesticide use behavior, and length of service
will harm farmers’ quality of life, health, and safety.
Therefore, an occupational health program must be
supported, which is an effective option for
addressing agricultural problems. Village heads,
community leaders, families, relatives, and local
communities can support farmers. This activity aims
to improve the safety of farmers by creating
appropriate training programs. The primary goal of
programs to promote safe pesticide use practices is
to raise knowledge, reduce excessive pesticide use
and improve public health status and can protect
farmers from the dangers of pesticides (Berni et al.,
2021; Jallow et al., 2017; Mazloomy Mahmoodabad
et al., 2019; Oztas et al., 2018).
In other words, increasing knowledge, awareness,
and skills could protect farmers from the dangers of
pesticides. It also increases self-efficacy in the safe
behavior of using pesticides. With good self-efficacy,
farmers have an entire purpose and commitment to
implementing safe behavior using pesticides.
Farmers with a high degree of insight and
knowledge make them better comprehend the
pesticide bottle label’s instructions that inform the
safe use of pesticides. Therefore, the government
should provide outstanding support for the safe use
of pesticides. In addition to the farmer education
enhancement program, financial aid is offered to
farmers to help them purchase PPE and other
protective equipment. Understanding the benefits of
using PPE is a prerequisite for increasing farmer
compliance with the use of PPE when applying,
cleaning, and mixing suitable pesticides (Berni et al.,
2021; Gesesew et al., 2016). Moreover, good
pesticide use behavior must be supported by skills,
support, the technology used, appropriate
application, and the infrastructure (Hashim et al.,
2020).
Education of Farmers
Education of farmers is a factor found in five articles
from 15 works of literature reviewed. Education is a
process of developing abilities, attitudes, and
behavior in a society. Therefore, education is one
factor that influences the safety behavior of farmers
when working with pesticides and can help
overcome the adverse effects of using pesticides.
This demonstrates that farmers with greater
knowledge are more likely to practice safety and
hygiene, especially when receiving information
Volume 9, Issue 1, January - March 2023
38
about pesticides, cleanliness after using pesticides,
and knowledge about how much pesticides are
used. Conversely, lower levels of education are
associated with the dangers of pesticide exposure
due to excessive use of pesticides, resulting in soil
degradation, water pollution, and air pollution due to
excessive use of pesticides found in Morocco
(Benaboud et al., 2014; Pan et al., 2020). In addition,
excessive pesticide use among female farmers was
associated with increased yields (Jallow et al., 2017;
Pan et al., 2020). The same thing is found in
Thailand and several other developing countries
(Grovermann et al., 2013).
Concerns about pesticides’ detrimental health
consequences are growing in developing nations,
owing mostly to poor levels of education and
inadequate training. Researchers found a
relationship between farmers’ education level and
the risk of occupational poisoning symptoms caused
by exposure to pesticides on farmers. Furthermore,
there is a relationship between farmers’ education
level and the decision to use personal protective
equipment. This is due to the insufficient knowledge
of farmers in handling pesticides which can result in
a greater risk of farmers being exposed to
pesticides. Therefore, intensive education must be
started by various institutions to educate farmers.
Furthermore, educational training to deal with
unsafe pesticide use and its impact on farmers’ well-
being needs to be carried out. Programs such as
Integrated Pest Control (IPM) training, training on
the use of pesticides, and safe handling, are
structured, systematic, and focused. Thus, farmers
ensure they are always committed to good pesticide
handling and improving education through farming
experience (Hashim et al., 2020; Jallow et al., 2017).
As a result, people are aware of the detrimental
impact of pesticides on health and the environment
and are taking precautions to safeguard themselves,
their families, and the community (Damalas &
Koutroubas, 2017).
Furthermore, pesticide merchants play a vital role in
disseminating knowledge about pesticides and how
to use them by exhibiting high levels of safety. For
this reason, it is critical to have an adequate
education and supervision program for pesticide
sellers to provide accurate information to farmers
(Yang et al., 2014).
Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Four articles from the literature review showed that
poor use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
during pesticide use contributed to pesticide
exposure in farmers and the induction of farmers’
health problems. They also said that wearing PPE
was inconvenient for them as it interfered with their
comfortable movement and ability to spray
pesticides. Thus, to encourage the excellent use of
PPE, the convenience of farmers must be
considered when using PPE (Morad Haseli et al.,
2014). On the other hand, bad behavior in using
PPE is a determining factor that pollutes the
environment. It increases poisoning due to pesticide
exposure that enters directly through the skin,
mouth, and respiratory system, which mostly occurs
when mixing and spraying pesticides (Mahyuni et
al., 2020). In addition, the main obstacle to using
PPE for farmers is the high cost of buying personal
protective equipment. It makes farmers not prioritize
their safety (Damalas et al., 2006; Morad Haseli et
al., 2014; Yuantari et al., 2015). This finding is in line
with the research of Rezaei et al. (2018), which
shows that almost half (49.5%) of farmers in Iran do
not carry out safe behaviors related to PPE use
because they do not want to spend money to buy it.
Therefore, to avoid or minimize the risk of exposure
to pesticides, what needs to be done is support from
the government through financial assistance to help
farmers buy PPE and other facilities required for
safe behavior in the use of pesticides. This aims to
avoid exposure to pesticides while working, which is
realized by complying with the use of personal
protective equipment (PPE) at work while
maintaining personal hygiene behavior both at work
and after work will provide benefits that are felt
directly by farmers (Mazloomy Mahmoodabad et al.,
2019). In several studies, safe work behavior that
has not been carried out correctly is caused by
several supporting factors, both internally and
externally. This aligns with the Health Belief Model
theory, which states that internal factors such as
individual perceptions can affect health behavior.
Good communication allows farmers to discuss with
their families and remind each other about self-
confidence and safe work behavior when using
pesticides (Mahyuni et al., 2020; Rostami et al.,
2019). Therefore, large family support has a strong
correlation and influence on the safe work behavior
of farmers. This occurs due to increased perceived
risk and health implications after using pesticides,
Volume 9, Issue 1, January - March 2023
39
which impact high improving compliance with safety
behavior (Berni et al., 2021; Jallow et al., 2017).
Conclusion
Farmers using pesticides are significantly at risk of
exposure to hazardous substances that harm
health. It causes health problems both acutely and
chronically. Several factors cause farmers’ bodies to
be exposed to pesticides, such as lack of
knowledge, lack of family support, low farmer
education, to ignoring safe behavior when working
with pesticides. Farmers who do not comply with
safe behavior will have a higher health risk because
of the toxicity of pesticides that can be directly
inhaled and enter through the pores of the farmers’
skin. Therefore, there must be support from the
government, family, and community leaders to
improve safe behavior and not be exposed to
pesticides. Practical activities can be in the form of
conducting training on pest control under agricultural
procedures. It also includes maintaining personal
hygiene by not smoking, eating, or drinking while
working with pesticides or not using pesticides
excessively. The will from within the farmers
themselves is also needed.
If possible, the government can also provide
subsidies for PPE. This will affect the motivation of
farmers because most farmers object to the cost of
buying PPE. Pesticide vendors are also responsible
for disseminating information regarding pesticide
use because pesticide packaging labels written in
foreign languages are generally difficult for farmers
to understand. With some of the precautions above,
farmers will understand how to use suitable
pesticides because using the wrong pesticides has
a destructive impact on farmers’ health. As a result,
farmers can suffer materialist and welfare losses.
Declaration Conflicting Interest
None.
Funding
None.
Acknowledgment
None.
Author Contribution
All authors met the contribution criteria for authorship and
approved the final version of the article to be published.
Author Biography
Putranto Manalu is a Lecturer at the Department of Health
Management, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima
Indonesia, Indonesia.
Victor Trismanjaya Hulu is a Lecturer at the Department of
Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima
Indonesia, Indonesia.
Frans Judea Samosir is a Lecturer at the Department of
Health Promotion, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas
Prima Indonesia, Indonesia.
Buenita is a Lecturer at the Department of Health
Management, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima
Indonesia, Indonesia.
Hartono is a Lecturer at the Department of Health
Environment, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Prima
Indonesia, Indonesia.
Santy Deasy Siregar is a Lecturer at the Department of
Occupational Safety and Health, Faculty of Public Health,
Universitas Prima Indonesia, Indonesia.
Masryna Siagian is a Lecturer at the Department of Public
Health Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas
Prima Indonesia, Indonesia.
Widya Yanti Sihotang is a Lecturer at the Department of
Health Environment, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas
Prima Indonesia, Indonesia.
Emira Nadiah Harahap is a Lecturer at the Department of
Health Environment, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas
Prima Indonesia, Indonesia.
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Cite this article as: Manalu, P., Hulu, V. T., Samosir, F. D., Buenita., Hartono., Siregar, S. D., Siagian, M., Sihotang, W.
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