Objectives Unregulated use of pesticides continues in developing countries in the presence of illiteracy and limited safety training and practices. This paper describes training and safety practices when mixing and spraying pesticides, and acetylcholinesterase levels among women farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted in women working in small-scale agriculture in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2006 assessed pesticide training and safety practices using a questionnaire survey and measured acetylcholinesterase levels in 803 women. Three components of safety behaviour were identified through principle component analysis and described. Results The mean age of participants was 41.8 years (range 18-82 years) with a mean of 6.9 years (range 1-12 years) of education among school attendees. Among the 803 women included, 366 (45.6%) were the primary sprayers on their farm. Only 16.4% of the sprayers had ever attended a pesticide training course and only 18.0% reported ever reading pesticide labels. Of the women using some form of protective equipment, 56.7% and 54.9% reported doing so when mixing and spraying pesticides, respectively. The mean acetylcholinesterase level corrected for haemoglobin among study participants was 28.9 U/g Hb (95% CI 28.4 to 29.4). Conclusion Women working in small-scale agriculture in rural KwaZulu-Natal with limited access to pesticide training observe few safety practices when mixing and spraying pesticides.
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机译:目标在存在文盲和有限的安全培训与实践的情况下,发展中国家仍在不加管制地使用农药。本文介绍了在南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省的女性农民中混合和喷洒农药时的培训和安全措施以及乙酰胆碱酯酶的水平。方法2006年,在南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省农村的小型农业妇女中进行的横断面研究使用问卷调查评估了农药培训和安全措施,并测量了803名妇女的乙酰胆碱酯酶水平。通过主成分分析确定并描述了安全行为的三个组成部分。结果参加者的平均年龄为41.8岁(18-82岁),平均受教育者为6.9岁(1-12岁)。在803名妇女中,有366名(45.6%)是其农场的主要喷雾器。只有16.4%的喷雾器曾经参加过农药培训课程,只有18.0%的人报告曾阅读过农药标签。在使用某种形式的防护设备的女性中,有56.7%和54.9%的女性在混合和喷洒农药时分别这样做。研究参与者校正后的平均血红蛋白乙酰胆碱酯酶水平为28.9 U / g Hb(95%CI 28.4至29.4)。结论在夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省农村地区从事小型农业工作的妇女,接受农药培训的机会有限,在混合和喷洒农药时几乎没有安全措施。
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