Environmental Health Literacy Development on Preventing the Health Impact from Dust Particulate Matter of Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (PM2.5) among Village Health Volunteers in Thai-Myanmar border district area in Chiang Rai province

Abstract

The problem of PM_2.5 pollution has an impact on people's health. Especially in the border district area, which faces the problem of cross-border smog. This action research aims to investigate the development of environmental health literacy to mitigate the health impacts of PM2.5 pollution among village health volunteers (VHVs) on the Thai - Myanmar border, Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province. The study is divided into three phases: Phase 1 examines environmental health literacy and behaviors related to mitigating the health impacts of PM_2.5 pollution and the correlation between literacy and behaviors. Phase 2 focuses on developing environmental health literacy, while Phase 3 evaluates environmental health literacy development. Data from 60 VHVs and 60 at-risk groups were analyzed quantitatively using frequency analysis, percentage, standard deviation, and statistical tests like paired t-tests and Pearson correlation. Additionally, qualitative data from a sample group of 50 key stakeholders, including the head of VHVs and relevant personnel, were analyzed using content analysis.

The study findings indicate that:

1. The environmental health literacy and behaviors of the VHVs in mitigating the health impacts are at a high level.
2. The environmental health literacy and behaviors of the VHVs in mitigating the health impacts are statistically significant correlations at the .01 level.
3. The development of environmental health literacy for mitigating health impacts among VHVs shows a significant increase, with a statistically significant difference at the .001 level between pre- and post-development levels.
4. The environmental health literacy of the at-risk group significantly increased after the visit by health volunteers, with a statistically significant difference at the .001 level compared to the pre-visit level.
5. The environmental health literacy development model for mitigating health impacts among VHVs consists of three main components: external and internal factors, processes, and expected outcomes. The evaluation results demonstrate the utmost utility, suitability, feasibility, validity, and alignment of the environmental health literacy development model.