Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Health Behaviors Regarding Air Pollution from Burning Waste: A Cross-sectional Study Among Villagers in the North of Iran in 2020

Background: Incineration is a waste disposal technique employed to reduce the volume of waste, resulting in air pollution. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice on health behaviors among Rasht villagers regarding air pollution from burning waste. Methods: The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 rural households in Rasht. Data were collected using a questionnaire by interviewing participants. The participants were randomly selected and entered the study. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 using the t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation at a 95% confidence interval. the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) were used to assess the instrument’s validity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated to evaluate the questionnaire reliability. Results: The findings confirmed the optimal validity and reliability of the instrument used in the study. The participants’ age range was 19 to 78, with a mean age of 43.87 12.66 years. The practice had a significant positive correlation with knowledge (r = 0.216). The correlation between practice and attitude was positive but not statistically significant. Education and information on burning wastes had a substantial relationship with knowledge. Participants received 80%, 29.3%, and 66.7% of the maximum achievable scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice components in the questionnaire, respectively. Conclusions: The villagers’ attitude in performing health behaviors regarding air pollution was not favorable, and there is a need to provide educational and behavioral interventions in this regard.