Factors Affecting the Household Waste Prevention Behavior of Rural Households in Qazvin County of Iran

This descriptive-correlational study aimed at investigating factors affecting the household waste prevention behavior of rural households in Qazvin County of Iran. The statistical population consisted of all the rural households of the county (N=31338), out of which 247 households were selected by means of Cochran sampling formula in randomized multi-stage sampling method. The 'household waste prevention behavior' was measured by a composite index consisting of 17 items in Likert-scale type. In addition, for the purpose of data analysis, the statistical analytical methods including correlational coefficients, regression analysis and nonparametric compare mean tests of Mann-whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were applied. The study analyses showed that age, environmental responsibility, social participation, social trust and social status had significant positive correlations with household waste prevention behavior; in contrast, education level, income, household size and knowledge had negative relations with that. Multiple regressions analysis showed that six variables including age, social trust, social participation, income, environmental responsibility, and social status of the rural women explained 57 percent of household waste prevention behavior variance.