Evaluations of Information Perceptions Relevant to Diseases and Health Hazards, Disease Prevention and Control Behaviors, and Images of the Department of Disease Control of Thai People: A Case Study in the Responsible Areas of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control 6, Chonburi Province

Abstract

This research is a descriptive research which has a sample group from population living in Trad province. The number of sample group was totally 240 samples received by multi-stage samplings with calculation of quantitative data by using accepted sample size chart (Yamane,1973) with 95% confidence and 2% variance. The tool used to collect data is questionnaires created by the researcher. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and reference statistics including Chi-square statistics. The results showed that 96.2% of the sample group have perception about disease and health hazards information. Which in this number, it was found that the most accessed sources of the information were television and cable TV (92.3%), public health personnel (87.1%) and public health volunteers at village level (86.2%) respectively. For the satisfaction levels, the sample group was satisfied to the information accounting for 99.6% with having knowledge about disease and health hazards in high level at 69.6%. The behavior of disease and health hazard prevention was also at the appropriate level (52.1%). In addition, the results indicated that public or people have positive opinions on the image of Department of Disease Control accounting for 90%.

In terms of information perception, source of information, information and knowledge satisfactions, and image of Department of Disease Control in public opinions, these aspects have positive correlation with disease and health hazard prevention behavior at medium level (r =.509, .414, .458, .412 and .413 respectively).

The results of this study can be used to plan for risk communication and develop the health behavior of the people as a systematic way, as well as used to plan for development of public relations communication systems for enhancing information perception, knowledge, public health behavior and image of Department of Disease Control for the Office of Office of Disease Prevention and Control 6, Chonburi to be more effective in the future.