Investigation of knowledge, attitude, and practice of Tehranian women apropos of reducing, reusing, recycling, and recovery of urban solid waste.

Abstract

This paper aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of women towards the municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Tehran, Iran, to provide a basis for experts and decision-makers to develop or improve practical waste management strategies. Women's contribution could markedly promote accomplishment of MSW management strategies, which has been neglected in many developing countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two stages: first, a random sample of 384 respondent women was selected from the 22 urban districts of Tehran, then 64 of them were randomly selected and trained face-to-face. The second phase was aimed at determining the effectiveness of face-to-face training and its impact on women's performance in waste management. In both stages, data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire containing 21 questions in four categories. Chi square (χ2) and Pearson correlation tests were applied to identify the association among variables. Results indicated that 69.6% and 72.9% of the women had adequate knowledge and attitude, respectively, while only 46.0% performed moderate practice on MSW management. Overall, significant association between education level, occupation, and marital status of the women with KAP towards reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery of MSW were yielded (p < 0.05). Adequate knowledge and positive attitude did not necessarily lead to the proper practice in this study. However, face-to-face training positively affected women's practice in solid waste recycling and source separation. Conducting training programs and motivation of women by municipalities and decision-makers to elevate women's environmental performance could substantially promote MSW management strategies in developing nations.