Development of a model for promoting early childhood health "Children as community assets" with community participation, Mahasarakham Province

Abstract

Purposes : To study the situation, develop a model and evaluate the model for promoting health in early childhood, "Children are assets of the community" through participation in Mahasarakham Province.

Study design : Action Research.

Materials and Methods : Key informants were randomly selected using conditional sampling, totaling 60 people. The research was conducted between December 2022 and April 2023. Quantitative data were collected to assess the knowledge and understanding of parents or guardians of children and community participation before and after the implementation. The content validity of the tool was checked by 3 experts. The IOC value was 0.67.  The reliability values of questionnaire sets 1 and 2 were 0.717 and 0.954, respectively.

Main findings : The situation of early childhood in Mahasarakham Province found that children were born in fewer numbers, had low IQ levels, and did not receive adequate and appropriate health promotion for their age, both from their families and communities. As a result, children lacked opportunities for age-appropriate health promotion. Mahasarakham Province is driving operations to improve children's quality of life for genius children through District Health Board to the family. In 2023, strategies will be added to ensure that every early childhood child and pregnant woman has "Father and Mother Hug", increase play areas in the community, and make children an asset to the community. Therefore, an early childhood health promotion model “Children as community assets" Participate in Mahasarakham Province has been created. This included 1) information on population structure and forecasts of future events, and 2) community, the community sees the importance, such as when fewer children are born, we must work together to solve the problem, and make children asset of the community 3) the community brainstormed to find a solution. Develop a project plan and seek resources to solve problems using the budget in the community and 4) "Father and Mother Hug" to help take care of preschool children in the community to ensure children with opportunities for age-appropriate health promotion and creates a mechanism for mutual learning within the community. The results showed that the participation of people in the community to promoting early childhood health after development increased statistically significant.

Conclusion and recommendations : In conclusion, the model of promoting early childhood health "Children as community assets" with community participation in Mahasarakham Province to help encourage the community to see the importance of children as a very valuable human resource, like an asset in the community that can add value and is the most cost-effective investment. They must be given the opportunity to develop to be age-appropriate by carrying out activities and evaluating the results. This is to ensure consistency with the changing context and encourage the community to cooperate in all processes. It is a guideline for developing an early childhood health promotion model by continuing to participate in other aspects.