Factors Affecting Behavior to Prevent Liver Fluke Disease of Village health volunteers That Sub-district, Warinchamrab District, Ubon Ratchathani Province

Abstract

The cross-sectional research aimed to study the factors of health belief patterns predicting liver fluke disease prevention behavior among village health volunteers in Ubon Ratchathani province. The sample was 84 village health volunteers (VHVs) in That subdistrict, Warin Chamrap district, Ubon Ratchathani province. The sample was selected by simple random sampling. Data was collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher from July 20, 2023 to September 15, 2023. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Inferential statistics were used to find predictive factors using stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results found that most VHVs were female, had no underlying diseases, had a maximum education of primary school, and were the main occupation of agriculture. They had an average income of 5,676.19 baht per month. They had been VHVs for an average of 13.42 years. They were selected to become VHVs by undergoing annual stool examinations for parasite eggs. Most participants reported a history of consuming raw food, had never received training on liver fluke prevention, had no history of illness and had no family members who had been infected with liver fluke disease. The perception of health belief patterns towards diseases of the village health volunteers found that the perception of the risk of disease was at a moderate level, the perception of the severity of the disease was at a high level, the perception of the benefits of disease prevention was at a high level, the perception of the barriers to disease prevention was at a low level, and the behavior of liver fluke disease prevention was at a moderate level. Factors affecting the behavior of liver fluke disease prevention of village health volunteers with statistical significance at the 0.05 level were 2 variables: the perception of the benefits of liver fluke disease prevention could explain the variance by 48.5 percent (R² = 0.485), and the history of eating raw food could jointly explain the variance by 61.4 percent (R² = 0.614, R²adj   = 0.605, P < 0.001). Therefore, there should be the development of innovations to create models for promoting liver fluke disease prevention behaviors among village health volunteers (VHVs), focusing on raising awareness of the benefits of prevention. Communication on liver fluke disease prevention should not only help reduce the risk of illness but also enhance the quality of life for themselves and their families in the long term. This includes organizing campaigns, providing health media showing effective health outcomes from prevention, and presenting information about role models who can maintain proper health care. Encouraging people to avoid consuming raw food and practicing good hygiene will motivate the public to strictly follow disease prevention guidelines. VHVs are a key force in carrying out activities and acting as representatives in communicating and publicizing the severity of the disease to the public, fostering awareness of sustainable disease prevention.