ANALYSIS OF PERSONAL HEALTH PRACTICES AMONG SMALL SCALE FARMERS IN KWARA STATE NIGERIA

Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ilorin, PMB 1515, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria Correspondence author’s e-mail: kemmas04@yahoo.com, Phone no: +2348067087961 This study examined the personal health practices among small scale farmers in Kwara state, Nigeria. Primary data were duly obtained using well-structured questionnaire which was administered on one hundred and twenty (120) small scale farmers. Statistical tools used for analysis were frequency count, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson Product Moment correlation. Results from the findings revealed that majority (38.3%) of respondents were aged between 41-50 years with mean age 45 years. Results also revealed that high rate of personal health practices in the study were alcohol consumption, stress management by relaxing and practicing safer sex. The study further concludes that health practices capable of worsening farmers’ health status and reduce agricultural labour efficiency of small scale farmers in the study area include: high intake of alcohol, low level of balance diet food, low level of exercise (physical activity, irregular visit to health care centres and low level of screening for HIV/AIDs and others diseases. Only few proportions (35.8%) of respondents have attended healthy living training/seminar programmes. Correlation analysis showed that health practices such as cigarette smoking at p<0.01, eating balance diet at p<0.05 and regular visit to healthcare centres at p<0.01 were found to be significantly related to knowledge gained from healthy living programmes attended by farmers. The study therefore recommends that government and other stakeholders should introduce health literacy programmes that will provide an environment that encourages behavioural changes of small scale farmers in the study area in order to make positive and lifeenhancing decisions on practices that will improve their health status INTRODUCTION Small scale farmers, when judged by international standards are farmers who hold farms less than 10.00 hectares, small-cattle rearing, and small local marketable surplus. These farmers who often use traditional methods to manage their farm businesses in order to remain competitive in a changing world require good health status in order to remain healthy to perform their farming activities (Watson, 2008). ILO, (2002) reported that socioeconomic, cultural and environmental factors influence the health and living conditions of farmers and agricultural workers. The environment in which rural farmers work and live, their standard of living and their nutrition are as important to their health. The health status of small scale farmers is of great concern in Nigeria, because of the role they played. There is no doubt that small scale farmers are the major suppliers of food in Nigeria. They play an important role for food security with an average farm size ranges between 0.7-2.2 hectares (Apata et al., 2011). Agricultural work involves multiple tasks on a daily and seasonal basis. Some of which could expose farmers to frequent injuries; contact with animals and plants, thus exposing workers to bites, poisoning, infections, parasitic diseases, allergies; exposure to pesticides and other agrochemicals constitutes a major occupational risk which may result in poisoning and death and, in certain cases, work-related cancer and reproductive impairments; extreme temperatures due to weather conditions; ergonomic hazards caused by the use of inadequate equipment and tools, unnatural body position or prolonged static postures, carrying of heavy loads, repetitive work, excessive long hours and other health problems are common among small scale farmers (Cordes and Rea, 1991). Demographic, farming environmental related exposures, personal health practices, and occupational health and safety measures have each been identified as independent risk factors for farm injury in the recent past. Individual level risk factors include personal health behaviours and physiological factors such as age and co-morbid conditions. The report on health of Canadians (2003) refers personal health practices and coping skills as those actions by which individuals can prevents disease and promote self-care, cope with challenges and develop selfreliance, solve problems and make choices that enhance health. Among farmers, Fragar and Depczynski (2009), noted that some individual health practices contributing to their health status are; lifestyle factors such as high rates of alcohol consumption, daily smoking, overweight-obesity, regular exercise, skin protection and accessing health care services regularly. Reed et al. (2006) noted that farmers’ determinants of farm injuries and farming related diseases include individual and operational characteristics. Reed et al. (2006) further stated that age, gender and sleep habit have been identified as important risk factors at the individual level while hours worked per week, economic worry and type of work have been identified as risk factors at the operational level. There is no doubt that health hazard arising from individual health practices of small scale farmers can affect their agricultural production in terms of provision of farm labour for farm operation. This is because sometimes when farmers are sick they still go to the farm and they are counted fully as being part of the farm labour force. Nigerian Journal of Agriculture, Food and Environment. 11(3):32-37 Published September, 2015 Komolafe et al., 2015 NJAFE VOL. 11 No. 3, 2015 33 However, their contribution to farm productivity may be lower because of increase absenteeism at work place (Danjuma and Bashir, 2013). This situation occurs often during the incubation stages of illness until full blown of it when the person becomes bed-ridden. Allsop and Pidd (2001) reported that the significant costs and consequences associated with illhealth status includes; poorer physical and mental health, reduced productivity and increased risk of injury. Over the years, farmers in Kwara state have been known for high farming activities bumper crops like yams, cassava, groundnuts, vegetable and cereal crops (KWADP, 1996). Recently, studies have revealed decline in the farmer’s productivity and food insecurity in Kwara State (Babatunde et al., 2007; Omotesho and MuhammadLawal, 2010). One would wonder why farmers now find it difficult to feed a small family unit in the area. Amidst other factors affecting farmers’ health status and agricultural productivity (Adesiji et al., 2013; Akangbe et al., 2012; Adewumi et al., 2007) and ill health conditions of farmers in the State (Komolafe, 2012), the personal health practices of people in farming communities need to be investigated. In view of the above, this research was burn out of curiosity to find out the level of practices of habits that could adversely affect health status among small scale farmers in Kwara State. Relying on the primary data gathered from small scale farmers in Kwara State, the broad objective of the study therefore is to examine personal health practices among small scale farmers. Specifically, the study described socioeconomic characteristics of respondents, investigates personal health practices of respondents, respondent’s knowledge on health practices, and examine the relationship between personal health practices of respondents and their knowledge on health practices. METHODOLOGY The study was conducted in Kwara State of Nigeria. The state was created on 27 of May, 1967. Kwara State is located in the North Central Geographical Zone of Nigeria. It covers a total land area of about 36,825 square kilometers. The State comprises of 16 Local Governments Areas (LGA’s) which are further grouped by Kwara State Agricultural Development Project (KWADP) into four zones, this is done in consonance with the ecological characteristics, cultural practices and project administration convenience (KWADP, 1996). The zones are: zone A: Baruteen and Kaima LGA’s; zone B: Edu and Patigi LGA’s; zone C: Asa, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Ilorin West and Moro LGA’s and Zone D: Ekiti, Ifelodun, Offa, Oyun, Isin and Oke-Ero LGA’s. The main ethnic groups in the state are Yoruba, Fulani, Nupe and Hausa (Kwara State Ministry of Information, 2002). A multiple stage random sampling technique was used in selecting the sample for this study. The first stage involved a random selection of two (2) zones (zone B and D) out of the four (4) KWADP’s zones in Kwara State. The second stage involved a random selection of four (4) Local Governments Areas out of 9 LGAs in zone B and D. Zone D consists of seven (7) LGAs and Zone B consists of two (2) LGAs. Three LGAs (Ekiti, Ifelodun and Offa) were randomly selected in Zone D while Edu LGA was randomly selected in Zone B. The third stage involved a random selection of 20 farmers each from Ekiti, Ifelodun and Offa while 60 farmers were randomly selected from Edu LGA. A total of 120 farmers were used as sample size for this study. The study adopted surveyed design to examine health and coping practices among the small scale farmers. Researchers sought to gain entry into the level of personal health practices among small scale farmers through indepth interview and closed ended questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered to respondents individually between the periods of February to March, 2010. To find out the level of personal health practices commonly practice on 8 item health practices statements in the study area, three point likert-type scales were used. The response option and values assigned were; very great extent = 3, some extent = 2, and no extent = 1. These values were added to get 6 and later divided by 3 to get a cut of point of 2. This means that variables with mean scores of 2 and above were regarded as high level of practices while variables with mean scores below 2 were regarded as low level of practices. Statistical tools used to analyze ob