Factors affecting the use of protective measures of farmers to prevent falling during the walnut collection period in Tuyserkan County

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Fall is one of the main reasons for serious injuries in workplaces. Protective measures are not frequently used by farmers and farm workers. In Iran, there are no adequate data in recognizing the various effective factors of falls from height in the agricultural sector. Thus, we used the PRECEDE model to recognize causes and factors which can affect the acceptance of the protective measures for the prevention of fall from the walnut tree. Materials and Methods: From July until November 2018, a cross-sectional research was conducted in Tuyserkan County in the west of Iran among 222 farm workers and farmers from 12 villages. A questionnaire was developed to measure demographic features, history of injuries, and constructs recommended in the PRECEDE model. Data were gathered by face-to-face interviews. Results: Predisposing factors (β =0.348, t = 5.116), enabling factors (β =0.131, t = 3.672), and reinforcing factors (β =0.164, t = 2.128) had a positive impact on protective measures, with an explained variance of 35.3%. In this study, the goodness-of-fit value was obtained as 0.455, indicating an excellent overall fit of the model to the data. Conclusions: The results of this research recognized the causes of protective measures among farmers and farm workers. Our findings suggest that the PRECEDE model could help as a guide for developing a more effective intervention for the prevention of fall from the walnut tree.