title: Perceptions of farmers' and farmworkers' wives on the use and hazards of agrochemicals in rural Vellore.
abstract: Poor handling, storage, and application of agrochemicals have resulted in a steep rise in mortality and morbidity associated with their use. This study aimed at assessing the awareness of wives of farmers and farmworkers in rural Vellore on the use and health effects of agrochemicals to identify gaps in their knowledge. A cross-sectional survey among 512 wives was conducted. Nearly 75 percent of the wives (384/512) did not know that agrochemicals could pass through skin. Also, wives who owned between 1 and 5 acres of land had a higher odds of knowing that agrochemicals were harmful (OR: 1.71(1.03-2-85), p < 0.05) and need to be disposed safely (OR: 4.76 (1.47-15.36), p < 0.05), than those owning less than an acre or no land. There is a need to educate women associated with agriculture in India on the harms and proper use of agrochemicals in order to better protect and inform their households and communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Mark Rohit
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Leeberk
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Raja
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Inbarani
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Harsh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Regi
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nicolas
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Nitin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Rohan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Earnest
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kiran
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Shaniah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: War
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health, Vellore.
authors.forename: Reginald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alex
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Vinohar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balraj
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College, Vellore.
authors.forename: Venkata
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mohan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D016573:Agrochemicals / Q000506:poisoning; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D016573:Agrochemicals
keywords: Agrochemicals; awareness; farmers' wives; rural India