Models to Prevent on Food Poisoning Diseaseamong Primary Schools of the Upper North-Eastern, 2015

Abstract

This action research aimed to develop models to prevent on food poisoning diseaseamong  primary schools of the upper North-Eastern,  2015.   The areas of study are 20 schools in 11 provinces within the north-eastern part of Thailand.All the 340participants were specifically selected, which are school directors (14), teachers (22),public health officers (9), students (250) andfood handler (45). The operation was directed from March 2014to August  2015. The study was divided into 3 periods; 1) study of the food poisoning situation in the school. 2) develop model and implement of the model to prevent on food poisoning disease, and 3) Evaluation and adjusted  the model to prevent on food poisoning disease in school. The data was collected by the means of questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and brainstorming meetings. The quantitative data was analyzed using frequency distribution and percentage. The qualitative data was analyzed using content analyses.

The results of the study; 1. The study of the food poisoning situation in the school revealed that students and food handler possessed the knowledge about food poisoning in a low level at 71.6% and 40.0%, respectively, and had medium understating towards the prevention of the diseases at 62.4% and 77.8%, respectively.  The self-protection behavior to prevent on the disease aremediumlyat 70.0% and 53.3%, respectively.Food poisoning awareness activities are still not clearly concrete. Most of the health policies rather focus on promoting healthcare more than the awareness of possible diseases in schools.

After the meeting, brainstorming, discussion and group dialogue to develop a model prevent on food poisoning diseases in primary school, had the following formats. 1.  Activities for prevention and surveillance on  food poisoning diseasesin schools are 3 methods;  1.1) milk surveillance, collecting samples of food , free residual chlorine detections, 1.2) Activities for prevention on food poisoning diseases in schools, such as  hand washing & cleaning toilets, inspecting food students bring from home, reporter in the school , safe food campaigns in the school, cook was delicious,  big  cleaning day in schools, safe food for families, and mass communication volunteers, and 1.3) Integrating student development activities to teach food poisoning prevention are 2 methods;  which are integrating the plans in health and physical education programs for 6 hours and integrating the plans into additional classes and clubs. 2.  Establishing food poisoning surveillance networks in schools with 2 leading networks which are mainstay student networks and teacher and school staff networks in each school.

The results after implementation of the model prevent on food poisoning diseases among primary school found that student gained more understating about food poisoning and tended to prevent   themselves from the diseases even more, comparing to the prior result, which differences are statistically significant (p< 0.001). The food handler learned more about food poisoning and gained better attitudes towards the prevention which differences are also statistically significant (p< 0.001), except for the differences in the behavior to prevent on the disease that are not statistically significant. Schools that have better concrete food poisoning surveillance and prevention activities are 5, while the 9 others focus on disease prevention activities. Directors of each school gave greater precedence in every step of the operation and managed to create healthier environments in their schools to protect from food poisoning. The spread of the disease started to gradually cease in between the operation periods until the end.