A Community-Based Observational Study on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Single-Use Plastics Ban in Rural Puducherry, South India

Background: India's industries produce nearly 9,000,000 metric tons of disposable plastic annually. Government of Puducherry implemented a ban on single-use plastics from 1st August 2019. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) levels concerning the use and legislation of single-use plastics among rural Puducherry's community residents. Methods: A 6-month community-based observational study was conducted in rural Puducherry using multistage random sampling among 450 households. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to an adult member (aged > 18 years) in each household before and after the plastic ban. Data collection utilized the Epi-collect 5 application, and SPSS v16 was used for statistical analysis, employing paired t-test and chi-square test (p-value < 0.05) Results: Mean age of study participants was 39.64 (13.23) years, nearly 57% of them were female. Before ban, 80.4% of the subjects were carrying their shopping contents using plastic bags provided by the seller in the rural area, whereas after ban implementation, it has reduced to 16.4%. Mean KAP score before ban was 8 +2.8 (95% CI: 7.7-8.2) and after ban, it increased to 15.2 +1.8 (95% CI: 15-15.4). The pre- and post-ban KAP scores differences were found to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.05). The perception of the law banning the use of plastic bags was found to be significantly higher in younger age group, female gender, and groups with higher educational and occupational status (p = 0.01) Conclusion: The study results will be useful for planning future needs and Information, Education Communication strategies for effective implementation and plastic use reduction in future.