The Participatory Health Communication for Aedes Aegypti Control in Community by Student Leaders in Same Community, Tambon Muangtee, Amphoe Muang, Susin Province*

Abstract

This study was a quasi-experimental research aimed at investigating the changes in Aedes Aegypti
control practices among student leaders and community people. The concepts of participatory health
communication, Health Belief Model and social support were employed for developing the program. The
researcher acted as a messenger sender aiming to change the student leaders’ perceptions in regards to
susceptibility, severity of hemorrhagic fever, benefits and barriers of Aedes Aegypti control, and Aedes Aegypti
control practices, through the organization of a training program and exhibition. The student leaders had
developed various types of materials, which included small flags, stickers, and leaflets, as well as
communicated with the people in Same Community. The health communication program was aimed at
changing the target people’s Aedes Aegypti control behaviors. The sample consisted of 40 students from Ban
Muangtee School and 40 people selected from Village 11, Muang-tee Subdistrict, Muang District, Surin
Province,Thailand The research was lasted for 12 weeks. Data were collected before and after the
experimentation by using the interview schedules and analysed by computing frequencies, percentages,
means , standard deviations and paired sample t-tests.
The research results showed that after the experimentation the student leaders had
significantly higher levels of knowledge about perceived susceptibility, severity of hemorrhagic fever,
perceived benefits and barriers of Aedes Aegypti control, and Aedes Aegypti control practices than
before the experimentation. The community people also had significantly improved Aedes Aegypti
control practices than before the experimentation.