Developing Preventive Strategies for Liver Fluke Disease with Community Involvement in Kudkwang Subdistrict, Nongrua District, Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

By involving communities in Kut Kwang Sub-district, Nong Ruea District, Khon Kaen Province, the objectives of this action research were to study the situation and to develop guidelines for liver fluke prevention. With the purposive sample technique, 67 participants in this study were those with a high risk of liver fluke infection, patients infected with liver flukes, and other related people. The research design included an analysis of the situations in the target area, planning steps, implementation of the plan, reflection, and evaluation. Furthermore, the data were collected using questionnaires, in-depth interviewing, and focus group interviewing. Then, data were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed under descriptive statistics, and content analysis respectively.  The findings included three phases. In the first phase, which involved the analysis of incidents and conditions, it was found that both the at-risk group and the group that had liver fluke were aware of the disease and were willing to adjust their lifestyles to prevent such disease at a moderate level. Moreover, there were little perception of the disease, not continuing for environment management, and no specific guideline for preventing the disease at the community. Aside from this, the focus of the second phase included six activities: 1) educating the community and promoting healthy lifestyles, 2) a group activity called "A Parasite-Free Villages & No Raw Fish," 3) campaign to combat the disease, 4) social support with home visit, 5) a community health charter, and 6) action. Lastly, the study also revealed a high level of awareness of disease prevention. For instance, individuals in the high-risk and liver fluke-infected groups understood the disease, followed protocol, and had a strong desire to change their eating habits, including stopping consuming raw fish. Since the majority of the population was willing to take part in these preventative measures, which also enhanced environmental management, no new infectious cases were also reported in the area. As can be seen from the fact that the community health charter's inclusion of knowledge and preventative measures finally resulted in betterment of disease control and a higher level of participation between people and authorities.