Farming is the number one source of livelihood in Barangay Biayon, Sergio Osmeña Sr., Zamboanga del Norte accounting for 53.3% of economically productive individuals and pesticide is widely used for pest management control in farming. Considering its adverse effects on health, an interventional study using lecture was done in improving the knowledge and practices of the farmers on pesticide handling in Barangay Biayon. The intervention was conducted by a qualified lecturer. Questionnaires and observational checklist were utilized in the evaluation of knowledge and practices and were administered at baseline, posttests 1, 2, and 3. Overall results detected presence of good knowledge and practices regarding pesticide handling among the 57 participants. Knowledge mean scores at post 1 and post 2 were significantly increased compared to baseline and post 3. Practices regarding pesticide preparation and application, usage of personal protective equipment, proper storage, and disposal of pesticides were significantly practiced at post 1, 2, and 3. This study concluded that health education in the form of lecture is an effective form of intervention in improving the self-reported and actual practices of farmers on pesticide handling over time. However, for the knowledge part, there was decay noted on the 12th week period. Therefore, lecture was not able to improve the knowledge of farmers in the long run.

Keyword: Knowledge and Practices Pesticide handling health education