Chlorpyrifos is a widely used agricultural insecticide. Chlorpyrifos exposure affects brain development and children’s overall health. The objective of this study was to assess the health risks from skin exposure to chlorpyrifos and to investigate the factors associated with chlorpyrifos exposure among children in agricultural areas. Residual chlorpyrifos samples were collected from the hands and feet of 130 children (aged 1–3) to analyze chlorpyrifos content using high-pressure liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. Chlorpyrifos residues were detected on the skin of 73.1% of the children tested. The health risk assessment of non-cancerous effects showed that children had dermal chlorpyrifos exposure at 1.46 × 10⁻⁵mg/kg-day, and the hazard quotient (HQ) of child dermal chlorpyrifos exposure was 0.03, which is an acceptable level. The frequency of accompanying parents to pesticide-sprayed areas was significantly associated with dermal chlorpyrifos exposure levels in children (OR_adjust =1.44, 95%CI =1.02–2.03). However, children in agricultural areas may be subject to additional health risks from exposure to other pesticides through respiration and ingestion. Therefore, they should not be allowed to accompany their parents to agricultural areas, and a program to prevent pesticides from affecting children in these areas should be developed.

Toddlers in agricultural areas may be athave risk from pesticide exposure . A cross-sectional study was conducted with 130 toddlers and their caregivers. Face-to-face interviews were done to gather information about exposure factors. A wipe sampling technique was used to collect carbamate residues on each toddler’s hands and feet. Results showed that there were carbamate residues on all wipe samples (100%), with a median concentration of 30.47 micrograms per sample (hands and feet). Carbamate residues detected on toddlers’ hands and feetwere significantly associated (p < 0.05) with many factors, including the toddlers’ relationships with caregivers, the education level of caregivers, the household incomes, the gender of toddlers, the frequency of following caregivers to farms, the frequency of foot washing, daytime activities, and playing durations. The health risk from dermal carbamate exposurewas above the acceptable range (HI = 3.244). Preventive measures should be considered to reduce toddlers’ pesticide exposure in agricultural areas.

Background: Pesticides pose health risks to vulnerable populations living in agricultural areas, especially children. However, effective interventions demonstrating biomarker-based reductions in pesticide exposure among toddlers remain scarce, including in Thailand. Objective: This quasi-experimental study, using a pre-test/post-test design, aimed to assess the effect of a parental behavior modification program on pesticide exposure among young Thai children. Methods: The sample consisted of 90 families with children aged 1– 3 years who lived within 50 meters of agricultural areas, including 46 in the intervention group and 44 in the control group. Guardians in the intervention group received a behavior modification program based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which included three training sessions and one home visit. The control group did not receive any intervention. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels in toddlers were measured via finger prick in both groups at three time points: baseline, follow-up 1 (two months after the end of the intervention), and follow-up 2 (five months after the end of the intervention). Results: Linear mixed-model analysis showed that, from baseline to follow-up 1, hemoglobin-adjusted AChE (HAChE) levels in the intervention group were 1.307 U/g Hgb higher than in the control group (P = 0.047). From baseline to follow-up 2, HAChE levels were 2.332 U/g Hgb higher in the intervention group (P = 0.005), and AChE levels were also higher by 0.311 U/mL. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the parental behavior modification program can effectively reduce pesticide exposure in young Thai children, and therefore the program should be considered for implementation as part of efforts to improve health outcomes among children living in agricultural areas of Thailand.

Children living in agricultural communities are particularly vulnerable to pesticide exposure through multiple environmental pathways, yet community-level public policies specifically designed to protect children remain limited in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to develop a community-based public policy for preventing pesticide exposure among young children in rural Thailand through a participatory action research (PAR) approach. Guided by the Kemmis and McTaggart PAR framework, one complete PAR cycle was conducted between February 2022 and January 2023 in Ban Nangoi Village, Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand. Purposive sampling recruited 62 stakeholders representing parents, farmers, healthcare personnel, local government representatives, academics, and community members. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, participant observations, and community meetings and analyzed using thematic analysis. The PAR process enabled stakeholders to jointly identify local priorities and co-develop a context-specific public policy summarized as the “3 Cs for Farmers, 2 Ps for People, and 1 S for Community” framework. Participants reported greater awareness of pesticide-related health risks, stronger multisectoral collaboration, improved stakeholder communication, and wider adoption of preventive practices. These findings suggest that PAR is a feasible approach for co-creating context-specific public policies while strengthening local environmental health governance. Rather than demonstrating the effectiveness of the policy in reducing pesticide exposure, this study highlights the value of stakeholder participation and policy co-creation in supporting sustainable community action. Future research should incorporate objective pesticide exposure measures, quantitative outcome indicators, and longer-term follow-up to evaluate policy effectiveness across diverse agricultural settings.

Pesticide exposure is an environmental health concern in agricultural communities, where young children are particularly vulnerable during critical developmental periods. This study evaluated a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)-based parental intervention for pesticide exposure prevention and child developmental screening outcomes. A quasi-experimental study included 121 parents or caregivers and their children aged 1–3 years in an intervention (n = 54) or routine-care control group (n = 67). The intervention comprised four structured learning activities delivered over four consecutive weeks (six hours in total), targeting attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to pesticide exposure prevention and caregiving practices. The first three activities were group-based sessions delivered by trained public health officers, while the fourth consisted of individualized home visits and follow-up conducted by trained village health volunteers. Child developmental screening was conducted at baseline and at the 6-month follow-up using the Developmental Surveillance and Promotion Manual (DSPM) across five domains: gross motor, fine motor and cognitive, receptive language, expressive language, and personal–social development. At baseline, no statistically significant between-group differences were observed across the five developmental screening domains. Longitudinal differences were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE). Significant group × time interactions indicated more favorable changes over time in the risk of not passing developmental screening in the intervention group relative to the control group for gross motor (RR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03–0.75), fine motor and cognitive (RR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.03–0.92), expressive language (RR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.10–0.56), and personal–social development (RR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.10–0.82). These findings provide preliminary, hypothesis-generating evidence that participation in the TPB-based parental intervention was associated with more favorable changes over time in developmental screening outcomes across several domains.