title: Farmers' perceptions of safe use of pesticides: determinants and training needs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With focus on the impact of age, farmers' perceptions of importance and competence on pesticide safety measures as well as factors that influence these perceptions were explored in Fars Province of Iran. Farmers' training needs on the pesticide safety measures were also identified and compared using the Borich Needs Assessment Model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 155 farmers who were up to 35 years old (young farmers), above 35 up to 50 years old (middle-aged farmers), and above 50 years old (old farmers). Farmers evaluated twenty-two pesticide safety measures divided into three stages of pesticide handling, i.e., before, during, and after use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant relationship either between age and total importance of the safety measures or between age and total competence on the safety measures due to the impacts of other mediating variables. The most important predictors for the perceived importance and competence of farmers on the safety measures were the experience of pesticide-related adverse health effects in the past and the formal education of farmers, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relationship between farmers' age and these two variables should not be considered either positively or negatively for predicting farmers' attitudes on safety issues of pesticide use without taking into account other mediating variables that can also affect farmers' behavior. Differences in the perceived importance and competence of farmers on the safety measures revealed considerably different needs of farmers for future training as a result of differences in age along with other background characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. seyyedmahmoodhashemi@gmail.com
authors.forename: Seyyed Mahmoud
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hashemi
authors.forename: Seyed Mahmood
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.forename: Mohammad Kazem
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hashemi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides