Impact of - IDL-BNC @ IDRC - International Development Research ...

To develop a health-education package based on findings of the knowledge,
attitudes, and practices (KAP) study and disseminate it in the
community.
The study area
The study was carried out in the rural community of Githunguri in Kiambu
District. It is about 50 km northwest of Nairobi and is 2000 m above sea level.
The 1988 projected population for the district was 1 012 438; the 1979 census
reported a population of 119 548. These were the only official data available
at the time of the study. The population is composed mainly of the Kikuyu
ethnic group.
Githungun is an agricultural area where coffee and tea are the only cash crops.
Maize, pulses, potatoes, vegetables, and other horticultural crops are also
grown. Most community members are small-scale farmers who use fertilizers,
fungicides, pesticides, and other chemicals throughout the year to improve
agricultural yields. Unemployed school leavers have turned to horticulture as
an alternative income-generating activity. They use agrochemicals extensively
to improve the crop yield from overcultivated land. The farmers find a ready
market for these crops in Nairobi and other local towns.
Methods
The study population consisted of all households in Githunguri, Kiambu
District. At the time of planning for the study, there were 6351 households in
the area. Because there was no systematic numbering of households, selection
was based on villages. The villages were considered as clusters and households
within them as listing units.
Of the 34 villages in the study area, 10 were randomly selected using cluster
sampling with probability proportional to the number of listing units in the
cluster. This procedure was chosen because the clusters had unequal numbers
of listing units and this method improves reliability of estimates. Of the 2 454
households in the 10 villages, 1 797 were surveyed by interview. The minimum
number of households needed was calculated to be 288. This sample size was
obtained using the formula:
n=z2p(1 p)/c
Where n is the minimum sample size; z is the chosen critical value from
standard normal distribution tables; p is the estimated prevalence rate of
pesticide use in the area; and c is the confidence interval (a measure of
precision).
109