Factors associated with protective behaviors against pesticide exposure: a study of rice farmers in Northern Iran

Rice farming in Mazandaran Province, Iran, relies heavily on chemical pesticides, posing significant health and environmental risks. Despite efforts to promote pro-environmental practices, farmers’ adoption of protective and sustainable behaviors remains limited. This study investigates factors associated with rice farmers’ preventive awareness and protective behaviors, focusing on the sequential progression from awareness to preparation and eventual recognition of the need for alternative pest management strategies within an enabling environment framework. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 388 rice farmers across three major counties of Mazandaran Province. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed generally low levels of preventive awareness and protective behavior. EFA identified four behavioral stages: awareness of pesticide impact, avoidance of pesticide poisoning effect, Preparation for protective behavior, and recognition of the need for alternative pest management alongside three enabling environment factors: social support, institutional incentives, and information flows. The first EFA (for preventive awareness and protective behavior) explained 64.7% of the total variance, while the second EFA (for enabling environment) explained 61.1% of the variance. The regression models explained between 43.3 and 53.3% of the variance across the four models (R 2 = 0.433 to 0.533). Education, gender, and household labor were associated with behavioral outcomes, while higher income and yield were negatively associated with protective actions. Among enabling environment variables, information flows showed the strongest and most consistent associations across all behavioral stages, followed by institutional incentives and social support. This study advances understanding of behavior change in pesticide use and pest management by conceptualizing protective behavior as a multi-stage process associated with individual, economic, and institutional factors. The findings highlight the role of enabling environment variables and offer a comprehensive analytical framework. Policymakers should strengthen information networks, institutional support, and targeted training programs to facilitate gradual behavioral transformation toward sustainable pest management in Mazandaran’s rice sector.