Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices of tobacco cultivators regarding their health hazards: a study on Kushtia district

Year 2024, Volume: 22 Issue: 3, 305 - 316

Md. Nayamat Ullah , Md. Hafizul Islam

https://doi.org/10.20518/tjph.1523383

Abstract

Objective: Tobacco farming is common in Bangladesh, particularly in Kushtia district, but it’s harmful to farmers’ health. This study looks at what tobacco farmers know, think, and do about their health. The findings will help create targeted interventions to improve their well-being.

Methods: A survey was conducted among 300 tobacco farmers in Kushtia Sadar, Mirpur, and Daulatpur upazilas, including 214 males (71.3%) and 86 females (28.7%). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using SPSS version 27 and Microsoft Excel version 19.

Results: The study found that 71.3% of tobacco farmers were men, and 38% had no formal education. Health problems were common, with 33% reporting allergies, 32% suffering from coughs and breathing issues, and 24% experiencing headaches. While 73.3% recognized the harmful effects of pesticides, only 59.3% were aware of the risks of handling tobacco leaves, and 40.7% acknowledged serious health risks from tobacco farming. Correlation analysis showed education level positively correlates with reporting physical health problems (r = 0.181, p < 0.01). Physical health problems positively correlated with acknowledging pesticide risks (r = 0.230, p < 0.01). However, a weak negative correlation (r = -0.076, p < 0.01) exists between physical health issues and concern about long-term effects.

Conclusion: In summary, this study highlights the need for targeted intervention to enhance knowledge and safer farming techniques, while also advocating for measures to protect farmers’ health and promote sustainable practices in the tobacco sector.

Keywords

Knowledge, Tobacco Cultivators, Health Hazards.

Thanks

I am very much glad to submit our manuscript to your renowned journal. I am craving your kind cooperation and positive responses. Thanks and best regards are due to you.

References

• Shafey O, Eriksen M, Ross H, Mackay J. The tobacco atlas 3rd ed. Atlanta: American Cancer Society. 2009.
• Schmitt NM, Schmitt J, Kouimintzis DJ, Kirch W. Health risks in tobacco farm workers—a review of the literature. Journal of public health. 2007 Aug; 15:255-64.
• Rahman MZ, Kabir MH, Alam MM, Islam S. Determinants of tobacco cultivation in Kushtia district, Bangladesh. Interna-tional Journal of Agricultural Extension. 2020 Jan 11;7(3):239-46.
• Motaleb MA, Irfanullah HM. Tobacco cultivation in Bangladesh: is it a threat to traditional agro-practice?
• Kafi MA, Sadekin MN, Islam R, Abidin IS. The Quality of Affording Gain of Tobacco Farming and the Decisive Health Condi-tion of Tobacco Farmers in Tang-ail District, Bangladesh. International Journal of Management. 2020;11(6).
• Berg CJ, Fong GT, Thrasher JF, Cohen JE, Maziak W, Lando H, Drope J, Mejia R, Barnoya J, Nakkash R, Salloum RG. The im-pact and relevance of tobacco control research in low-and middle-income countries globally and to the US. Addictive be-haviors. 2018 Dec 1; 87:162-8.
• Kahl VF, Dhillon V, Fenech M, de Souza MR, da Silva FN, Marroni NA, Nunes EA, Cerchiaro G, Pedron T, Batista BL, Cap-petta M. Occupational exposure to pesticides in tobacco fields: the integrated evaluation of nutritional intake and sus-ceptibility on genomic and epigenetic instability. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity. 2018;2018(1):7017423.
• Ghosh SK, Parikh JR, Gokani VN, Kashyap SK, Chatterjee SK. Studies on occupational health problems during agricultural operation of Indian tobacco workers: a preliminary survey report. Journal of Occupational Medicine. 1979 Jan 1:45-7.
• Tobacco Farming. TobaccoTactics. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://tobaccotactics.org/article/tobacco-farming/.
• Rahman S. Environmental and occupational health impacts for tobacco cultivation: a case study on a developing country (Bangladesh). QScience Proceedings. 2012 Mar 26;2012(3):94.
• Chevalier JM. Participatory action research: Theory and methods for engaged inquiry. Routledge; 2019 Feb 12.
• Agriculture1 Year Book 2017-18.pdf. Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/1b1eb817_9325_4354_a756_3d18412203e2/Agriculture1%20Year%20Book%202017-18.pdf.
• Lecours N. The harsh realities of tobacco farming: a review of socioeconomic, health and environmental impacts. Tobacco control and tobacco farming: separating myth from reality. 2014 Sep 15:99.
• Hossain MM, Rahman MM. A socioeconomic analysis on tobacco cultivation in Kushtia District of Bangladesh. Social Sci-ences. 2013;2(3):128-34.
• Riquinho DL, Hennington EA. Health, environment and working conditions in tobacco cultivation: a review of the litera-ture. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva. 2012 Jun;17(6):1587-600.
• Global Burden of Disease (GBD). Retrieved November 11, 2023, from https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/gbd.
• World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2008: the MPOWER package. World Health Or-ganization; 2008 Feb 11.
• Ali MY, Kafy AA, Rahaman ZA, Islam MF, Rahman MR, Ara I, Akhtar MR, Javed A. Comparative occupational health risk between tobacco and paddy farming people in Bangladesh. SSM-Mental Health. 2022 Dec 1; 2:100061.
• Punkhun S, Norkaew S. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to blood cholinesterase level among tobacco farmers in Northern Thailand. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal. 2020 Feb 7;26(2):283-94.
• Reis MM, Oliveira AP, Turci SR, Dantas RM, Silva VD, Gross C, Jensen T, Silva VL. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women farmers concerning tobacco agriculture in a municipality in Southern Brazil. Cadernos de saude publica. 2017 Sep 21;33:e00080516.
• Devika P, Jeeragyal S, Sharavanan E, Udayar M, Sasidhar KR, John R. Knowledge attitude and practices study regarding tobacco use among rural population. 2021.
• Talukder A, Haq I, Ali M, Drope J. Factors associated with cultivation of tobacco in Bangladesh: a multilevel modelling ap-proach. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020 Jun;17(12):4277.
• Rahman H, Parvin J. Ethics and economics of tobacco farming: A case study of rural Bangladesh. IOSR Journal of Humani-ties and Social Science. 2017;22(2):56-65.
• Paul A, Sultana NN, Nazir N, Das BK, Jabed MA, Nath TK. Self-reported health problems of tobacco farmers in south-eastern Bangladesh. Journal of Public Health. 2021 Jun; 29:595-604.
• Fakir AM, Karim A, Mubde MB, Aziz M, Ahmad A. Can visual nudges reduce smoking tobacco expenditure? Evidence from a clustered randomized controlled trial in rural Bangladesh. Journal of Smoking Cessation. 2020 Sep;15(3):163-70.
• Salam MT, Zaman SS, Hossen ST, Nur MA. Consecutive 2-year data analysis to assess the soil quality and ecological risk of heavy metals in Tobacco field: a case study in Northern Bangladesh. SN Applied Sciences. 2021 Feb; 3:1-3.
• Riquinho DL, Hennington EA. Tobacco cultivation in the south of Brazil: green tobacco sickness and other health problems. Ciencia & saude coletiva. 2014 Dec 1;19(12):4797.
• Rahman S. Environmental and occupational health impacts for tobacco cultivation: a case study on a developing country (Bangladesh). QScience Proceedings. 2012 Mar 26;2012(3):94.
• Moyo YM, Jeebhay MF, Baatjies R, Dadabhai S, Adams S. Obstructive Lung Disease Linked to Occupational Exposures in Malawian Tobacco Farmers. Journal of Agromedicine. 2023 Oct 2;28(4):867-80.
• Santos AC, Soares IP, Moreira JC, Farias MB, Dias RB, Farias KF. Perfil dos registros clínicos em prontuários de fumicultores em Alagoas. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Trabalho. 2017;15(4):310-6.
• Anbazhagan P, Wilson AA, Nallasamy V, Ramanathan S. Assessment on knowledge and perception regarding health risks of pesticide usage among farmers. Int J Public Health Sci. 2022;11(4)4. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v11i4.21230.
• Muenhor C, Donprapeng B. Community Participation in Development of Models for Reducing Pesticide Contact of Agricul-turist Group: Case Study of Tobacco Grower Group of Nayor Village, Nangam Sub-District, RaenuNakhon District, Na-khonPhanom Province. Srinagarind Medical Journal-2020 Apr 9;35(2):210-8.
• Önen C, Avcı S, Güneş G. Çiftçilerin tarım ilaçlamasında kullandığı koruyucu sağlık önlemleri. Turkish Journal of Public Health. 2015 May 1;13(2):147-54.
• Riquinho DL, Hennington EA. Tobacco cultivation in the south of Brazil: green tobacco sickness and other health problems. Ciencia & saude coletiva. 2014 Dec 1;19(12):4797.
• WIPO - Search international and national patent collections. Retrieved from https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2017086621.
• Lencucha R. Future of farming must be food not tobacco. Tobacco Control. 2023 May 1;32(3):269-70.
• Reddy KV, Reddy DD, Rao CC, Hema B, Srinivas A. Impact of FCV tobacco crop size reduction in Andhra Pradesh: adoption of alternative crops. Tob. Res. 2017;43(2):63-8.
• Gregorio P, Lemos B, Moraes A, Mattos F, Sampaio M, Viveiros P, de Godoy I. Knowledge about tobacco according to smoking habit and level of formal education.