Aridi Mona, Ibrahim Sara Abou, Alwan Nisreen, Ghach Wissam
LARIS, University of Angers, Angers 49000, France.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Education, Modern University for Business and Science, Damour, Lebanon.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 9;20(6):e0321591. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321591. eCollection 2025.
Farmers' comprehension of color codes and pictograms of pesticides is crucial for ensuring the safe and effective use of these agricultural chemicals. These visual aids provide essential information about hazards, proper handling, and application methods. This understanding helps prevent accidents, protect health, and promote sustainable farming practices. This study aims to develop and validate a Pesticide Label Questionnaire (PLQ) qualitatively and quantitatively using psychometric measures to evaluate farmers' comprehension of pictograms and color codes as well as the technical sign-related practices in Lebanon. The questionnaire, consisting of 29 statements, was generated and developed by experts in the field of agriculture, chemistry, environmental health, public health, and statistics. Face, content, and construct validity were assessed, and psychometric properties were examined for data validation. Internal consistency and reliability were measured using Cronbach's alpha (α) and Guttman's Lambda Coefficient. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 27) and RStudio (Version 1.1.456, Inc., 2009-2018). The Construct Validity analyses demonstrated strong reliability and coherence within the questionnaire, with an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.873. Section I ("Pictorial and Color Code Comprehension") achieved a Cronbach's alpha of 0.849, while section II ("Technical Sign-related Practice Assessment") showed moderate reliability at 0.667. Factor analyses revealed a well-defined structure, with five components explaining 62.03% of the variance in section I and three components accounting for 61.81% in section II. These results highlight the questionnaire's robust construct validity and its ability to capture key dimensions of comprehension and practice related to pesticide labels. The results of this study indicate that the 29-item PLQ is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating farmers' understanding of pictograms and color codes along with technical sign-related practices.
农民对农药颜色代码和象形图的理解对于确保安全有效地使用这些农用化学品至关重要。这些视觉辅助工具提供了有关危害、正确处理和施用方法的重要信息。这种理解有助于预防事故、保护健康并促进可持续农业实践。本研究旨在使用心理测量方法定性和定量地开发和验证农药标签问卷（PLQ），以评估黎巴嫩农民对象形图和颜色代码的理解以及与技术标志相关的实践。该问卷由农业、化学、环境卫生、公共卫生和统计学领域的专家生成并开发，包含29条陈述。评估了表面效度、内容效度和结构效度，并检查了心理测量特性以进行数据验证。使用克朗巴哈系数（α）和古特曼λ系数测量内部一致性和可靠性。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS 27版）和RStudio（1.1.456版，公司，2009 - 2018年）进行统计分析。结构效度分析表明问卷内部具有很强的可靠性和连贯性，总体克朗巴哈系数为0.873。第一部分（“象形图和颜色代码理解”）的克朗巴哈系数为0.849，而第二部分（“与技术标志相关的实践评估”）的可靠性适中，为0.667。因子分析揭示了一个明确的结构，五个成分解释了第一部分中62.03%的方差，三个成分解释了第二部分中61.81%的方差。这些结果突出了问卷强大的结构效度及其捕捉与农药标签相关的理解和实践关键维度的能力。本研究结果表明，29项的PLQ是评估农民对象形图和颜色代码以及与技术标志相关实践理解的有效且可靠的工具。
