Development of a Pesticide Labeling Literacy Scale for Thai Rice Farmers: Item Generation and Content Validity Testing.

Abstract

Background: Occupational exposure to pesticides in rice cultivation poses health risks, exacerbated by factors contributing to the improper use of pesticides. One significant factor is the limited literacy skills of farmers, hindering their ability to read and comprehend pesticide labels. Research in this area is limited by the lack of an acceptable method for measuring pesticide labeling literacy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess pesticide labeling literacy in Thai rice farmers.

Method: The scale development involved identifying components and dimensions of pesticide labeling, formulating question items, and designing the scale based on literature reviews and expert interviews. The content validity of items was evaluated by experts using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR). After the pilot test, the difficulty, discrimination index, reliability and construct validity of the scale were examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was evaluated on 400 rice farmers.

Results: The pesticide labeling literacy scale was structured into five components: Access, Understanding, Awareness, Analysis, and Application. The CVI and CVR results fell within the acceptable range, confirming content validity. After refining the questionnaire based on the pilot test, a 40-item scale was derived, with items exhibiting suitable difficulty indices (0.28-0.76) and discrimination indices (0.20-0.70). The overall pesticide labeling literacy scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.896 The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) indicated that the scale was suitable for factor analysis. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that the model aligned well with the empirical data and exhibited acceptable fit indices for the proposed model. The final version of the scale comprised 35 questionnaire items.

Conclusion: The 35-item questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing pesticide labeling literacy among Thai rice farmers. It encompassed five components: Access, Understanding, Awareness, Analysis, and Application This innovative scale has the potential to serve as an effective tool for evaluating the level of pesticide labeling literacy among Thai rice farmers.