농업인의 농작업 위험 수용도 및 관련 요인

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to examine risk-accepting personality traits and associated factors among farmers. Methods: Data were collected from farmers aged over 40 living in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang-do Province, Korea. Study participants were enrolled in the Korean Rural Cohort study from 2011 to 2014. Surveys for the risk perception of farming were made through face-to-face interviews. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were conducted adjusting for gender, age, marital status, and education. Results: Several factors such as gender, age, marital status, age first worked as a farmer, duration of farming, and history of pesticide poisoning were associated with risk-accepting personality traits among farmers. Farmers with risk-accepting personalities tend to be older, less educated, and have self-employed health insurance. Farmers who started farming after the age of 50 are likely to be risk averse compared to farmers who started farming before the age of 20 (OR=0.41, 95% CI; 0.21, 0.82). Frequent spraying of pesticides was marginally associated with higher risk acceptance among female farmers (OR=1.61, 95% CI: 0.99, 2.64). Male farmers who had experienced pesticide poisoning in their lifetime showed higher odds of risk-accepting personality traits (OR=2.20, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.72) Conclusion: Risk-acceptors were more likely to spray pesticides frequently and to experience more pesticide poisoning compared to risk-averse individuals. This result suggests that farming hazards are to some degree driven by risk-accepting personality traits. Further investigation of how risk-accepting behaviors influence farming practices and pesticide poisoning is needed.