The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for traffic noise–induced annoyance and also assess the awareness levels among the exposed population concerning the health impacts caused by traffic noise. Field measurements were made to validate the application of the standard noise models, which were later used to present the acoustical environment and assess the exposure level around a super-speciality hospital surrounded by a residential zone. Results from the noise maps and façade maps revealed that the area was exposed to noise levels exceeding the upper safe limits by more than 10 dB(A). The effect of exposure in the form of annoyance and the awareness level were evaluated using a questionnaire survey in a sample of 565 residents. Attention questions were incorporated in the questionnaire, and the awareness level was evaluated using the mean awareness index score. Respondents living in noisy areas were having a higher risk for annoyance as compared to those living in quiet areas (OR = 4.06; 95% CI = 2.79–5.88). Reporting poor sleep quality, being sensitive to noise, and noise perception at home were the significant risk factors for annoyance. Most of the respondents were classified as having no/little awareness about serious health ailments caused by traffic noise. Lower awareness levels, despite a higher literacy rate and a higher percentage of the young population, imply that there is a need for undertaking mass awareness programmes so that the impacts can be reduced to a minimum, if not eliminated.

To address the frequent emergence of ecological problems, ecology has intersected with various disciplines. From the perspective of linguistic ecology, ecological literacy is an important concept that combines the subjects of ecology and linguistics. It not only discusses ecological issues, but also establishes a linguistic framework. Here, we constructed a quantitative method of assessing ecological literacy from the perspective of linguistic ecology. Ecological literacy was divided into five parts: ecological knowledge literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. Each of these was set with four quantitative indicators that were evaluated through eight questions. A case study was conducted to investigate the ecological literacy of the inhabitants of Guiyang City, one of China’s top ten ecologically advanced cities. The results showed that the proposed assessment method was an effective way to evaluate the level of ecological literacy comprehensively. In the case analysis, the overall ecological literacy level of Guiyang inhabitants was relatively good, and the levels of the five specific dimensions of them in descending order were as follows: ecological ethics literacy, ecological emotional literacy, ecological awareness literacy, ecological knowledge literacy, and ecological behavioral literacy. The results of this study are conducive to the production of targeted ways to improve the level of ecological literacy for sustainable development.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by an obligatory intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. The congenital form of the disease is a significant health problem around the world. This study aimed to determine the incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis in the newborn of Shiraz, Southern Iran, between 2013 and 2018. A total of 2498 blood samples of neonates were randomly collected by a standard heel puncture technique and dried on Guthrie cards from Shiraz newborn screening center. We provided questionnaire forms for mothers according to their demographic characteristics, such as age, place of residence, history of having cats as pet, and literacy level. ELISA immunocapture and PCR assays were applied to detect anti-Toxoplasma IgM and the parasite DNA in dried blood spot samples. The anti-Toxoplasma IgM antibody was detected in two out of the 2498 infants. Moreover, borderline titers were observed in 3 samples, which were considered suspicious, so these were retested after 18 months to detect IgG against Toxoplasma. Positive IgG titer was observed in two infants who had a positive IgM level. The genome of Toxoplasma was detected in one sample out of 2498. No significant differences were seen between the epidemiological factors with congenital infection. The incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis is estimated at 0.08% of studied samples. It seems that this incidence could present to the health ministry as a logical research achievement for the national screening program of newborns in Iran.

The Spanish flu, Asian flu, Hong Kong flu, HIV/AIDS, SARS, Ebola, and Swine flu, among others, have had a significant impact on agriculture, education, the economy, and human activities, including leisureliness, shipping, healthiness, fisheries, mining, industry, and trade. Currently, manhood is dealing with a new epidemic, the infection of the latest coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which causes a deadly disease named COVID-19. This article aims to examine COVID-19’s effect on agriculture, education, and the economy. There are existing estimates to conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant influence on agriculture and the food supply chain, mostly influencing food demand and, as a result, food security, with a disproportionate impact on the most disadvantaged. To overcome spread of COVID-19, a non-contact food delivery system has been used by utilizing drown for this purpose. This epidemic crisis also introduced a digital education system that is challenging for students and teachers who are not educated in it. Weak infrastructure, such as electricity, poor access to the Internet connection, and a lack of technology literacy, has hampered the online education system. Coronavirus has an undesirable influence on the global economy by affecting tourism, the financial market, commerce, shipping, manufacturing, and the service sector. The exchange market was also down during the COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, we should strictly follow SOP’s to improve our agriculture, education, economy, and other ways of normal life. We should also be vaccinated to fulfill our all losses in different fields.

The prevalence of smoking in developing countries is known as a significant public health problem, and it is correlated with different demographic and socio-economic factors. This study aimed to determine the environmental and economical related factors of smoking among Iranian adults aged 35 to 70 years. The study sample consisted of 20,152 of Ardabil population aged 35–70 years which was enrolled in the PERSIAN cohort study. Smoking status during the last year was defined as dependent variable and demographic and socio-economic factors considered as independent variables. To identify the main socio-economic factors affecting the smoking prevalence in Ardabil, multivariable logistic regression was used. The prevalence of smoking was 16.1 (95%, CI 15.5–16.4) in this study, where the prevalence of smoking was for men and women 33.4% and 1.4%, respectively. The prevalence of smoking had significant association with old age (2.05, 95% CI, 1.66 to 2.53), male gender (45.15, 95% CI, 37.14 to 54.89), being married (2.60, 95% CI, 1.51 to 4.46), having cardiovascular disease (1.54, 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.79), and negative association with illiteracy (0.50, 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.64), being obese (0.83, 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.94), and lower socio-economic status (0.74, 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.84). The study showed that the prevalence of smoking in Ardabil is higher than many other countries, and different factors, especially socio-economic status, have an association with the prevalence. There are deep needs to policies and regulations such as increasing the taxation on a cigarette to reduce the negative effect of smoking in Iran.

Climate change is severely damaging the agricultural system of many food producing regions worldwide. Small/subsistent livestock herders are the most vulnerable and less resilient group towards climatic disasters within South Asian region including Pakistan. The adoption of climate-smart practices would be beneficial for small livestock herders because of its potential to ensure food security, improve income, and sustain development simultaneously. The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors influencing small livestock herders’ adaptation decisions towards changing climate by conducting field-based research. We intend to understand how institutional factors, risk perceptions, adaptations, and personal constraints affect the adaptation decisions related to climate change mitigation and choice of adaptation strategies. For this purpose, a primary data set of 405 small livestock herders from Punjab, Pakistan was used. The regression results of empirical models reveal the probability of adopting specific climate change strategies. The study results showed that zero adaptation (non-adoption) to climate change is higher when there is low literacy rate, less experience, nuclear family system, lack of institutional services, and low level of risk perception about climate change. The marginal outcome showed that the livestock herders with positive risk perception and access to the institutional services do participate more frequently in a higher number of adaptations options for economic and ecological benefits. Therefore, it is suggested that government and other development actors should strengthen institutions for trust building among local community groups and to reduce individuals’ risks. Moreover, effective insurance schemes could facilitate small livestock herders to keep less but more productive livestock. The study recommends building viable and potential weather index insurance schemes which will result meaningful marginal scale benefits for smallholders. Finally, the results of major constraints suggest that it is necessary to provide awareness of climatic vulnerabilities, timely information delivery, and adequate financial facilities to offset resource constraints of livestock herders in order to adopt sustainable strategies at their farms.

The rapid development of information communication technology (ICT), represented by mobile phones and the Internet, allows capitalizing to a greater extent on the wealth of information and knowledge available for agriculture knowledge and can be used to increase production, conserve the environment, etc. This study analyzes the current market-oriented behavioral effects of information communication technologies on farmers, based on data of 1263 rural households in two highly environmentally affected and major vegetable producing provinces—Shandong and Hebei. A probit model was used to analyze the impact of information communication technology on the choice of farmers’ sales channels. The results show that the differences between the farm households with and without access to ICT, as well as those who actively or passively acquire information, have a significant impact on the choice of sales channels. Using ICT increases the probability that farmers choose sales through middlemen and cooperatives and reduces the probability of self-sales. Actively acquiring information has a positive impact on the cooperative channel choice and a significant negative impact on self-sales. Accordingly, we recommend that the government should increase the penetration rate of ICT, strengthen the information technology in rural areas, emphasize the construction of information sources, such as the collection and distribution of market information, enhance information literacy among farmers, reduce their transaction costs, and increase overall farmer participation in the market.

This study is based on self-reported information collected from selected farmers of Vehari District, Punjab, Pakistan, to determine their technical knowledge and awareness about pesticide use and associated environmental and health risks. Moreover, soil contamination by routinely used persistent organochlorine pesticide, endosulfan, was also evaluated. Survey data revealed very low literacy rate (on an average 9th grade education) and technical knowledge (almost missing) of the farmers in Vehari District. The farmers are unable to fully read and understand the instructions about the use of pesticide marked on the containers. They are not fully aware of pesticide persistence and toxicity (73%), unable to identify cotton pests and diseases (86%), and do not know which crop to grow in cotton adjacent fields (100%). Data also revealed that the farmers (100%) do not follow safety measure during pesticide application and are unaware of pesticide toxicity symptoms in human as well as the basic first-aid practices (89%).Poor literacy rate and lack of technical knowledge of farmers in Vehari regarding pesticide use and handling are posing serious environmental and health risks among the local inhabitants, particularly among farmers. Soil analysis results showed that concentration of α- and β-endosulfan ranged from 0–14 to 0–14.64 μg/mg, respectively. Principal component analysis showed that soil organic matter is the key soil parameter controlling the occurrence and fate of endosulfan under sandy loam soil conditions of Vehari District. There is a serious need of improving technical and environmental knowledge of farmer about pesticide risks on human health in the studied area, in particular, and the entire country in general. Findings are of great use for policymaking in Pakistan to minimize pesticide risks in Pakistan.

Pesticide labels and pictograms are the first and utmost source of information for safe use and personal protection of farmers and a legally binding document against environmental degradation reinforced by governments. The influence of pictogram information on the safe use of pesticides depends on the importance of pictogram to farmers and how they interpret its information. The present study explores farmers’ interpretation of risk assessment data of pictograms displayed on pesticide labels. The statistical population is composed of all wheat and potato farmers in Ardabil County (N = 4964) of which 200 farmers were sampled based on Morgan’s sampling table. Data were collected using a questionnaire for the 2018–2019 cropping year. The content validity of the research instrument was determined by a panel of faculty members and its reliability was confirmed by the coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha. Results indicated that farmers had poor understanding of the pictograms. Unclarity of pictograms, inability to understand their meaning, and low literacy or illiteracy were the main causes of poor understanding of pictograms, respectively. Educational level, extension training, and attitude also had a positive significant relationship with pictogram comprehension. On the other hand, pictogram comprehension did not show a significant correlation with the use of personal protective equipment and the adoption of safety measures during pesticide handling and application. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the variables of attitude towards pictograms, information sources, educational level, and attending training courses on chemical pesticides were the main factors underpinning pictogram understanding so that they altogether accounted for 58% of the variance in the dependent variable of the research.

Integrated management of water quality is critical for sustaining food production and achieving overall well-being of a community. Further, understanding people’s perceptions and engagement can play an important role in achieving water and food security. The main aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of community and other stakeholders as to how water quality impacts on agriculture, livelihood and community well-being within rural farming communities of two dry zone districts of Sri Lanka. The study adopted ‘key informant interviews’ as the methodology to investigate community and other stakeholder perspectives to collect primary data over a period of four months. The interview contents were then examined using a frequency matrix and graphed using an Excel graphing tool. The raw text was also analysed to understand the broader patterns in the text. A fuzzy logic cognitive map (FCM) was developed using the relationships between various concepts and linkages provided by the key informants. All key informants were concerned with the quality of drinking water they consume and the water used for their food preparation. Key informants representing the farming community indicated that the use of poor quality groundwater with higher levels of hardness has made growing crops difficult in the region. The key informants also identified extensive and ongoing use of agro-chemicals and fertilisers as a major source of pollution in water bodies in both spatio-temporal scale. Based on key informant interviews, possible initiatives that can help improve surface water and groundwater qualities for both drinking and agricultural use in the dry zone of Sri Lanka can be categorised into four broader themes, viz., provision of filtering/treatment systems, reduction in the use of agro-chemical and fertilisers, education of community stakeholders and support of alternative options for portable water supplies. The study indicates that in the key informants’ view of groundwater and surface waters’ continued deterioration in the absence of a proper governance structure, a majority of farmers will have restricted access to good quality water to meet daily and agricultural needs, and this will affect the health of the elderly and children in the area. Further, a majority of key informants were of the view that management of surface water and groundwater should be a shared responsibility between the government and the community in the region and appropriate policy initiatives that will improve water literacy at all levels are mandatory to address future water quality challenges.