Factors Affecting Liver Fluke Prevention and Control Behaviors of People in Sampong Subdistrict, Si Songkhram District, Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive research aimed to study the effects of personal factors, intra-individual factors, and social support on the prevention and control behaviors of liver fluke disease. The sample was people aged 15 to 70 who lived in Sampong Subdistrict, Sisongkhram District, Nakhonphanom Province. The formula to estimate the sample mean was used. Three hundred seven subjects were recruited and then selected by simple random sampling. The data were collected using intra-individual factors, social support, and prevention and control behaviors of liver fluke disease with a reliability of 0.83, then analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics with multiple logistic regression.

The study found that most of the sample, aged 45 years and older, were female, graduated from secondary school with farming experience, and married. Most of them have the knowledge and social support of preventing and controlling of liver fluke disease at a high level (53.40% and 64.20%, respectively); meanwhile, their attitudes and behaviors have a moderate level of 57.70% and 87.30%, respectively. When controlling for the influence of other factors, it was found that factors affecting the prevention and control behavior of liver fluke disease were intra-individual factors (knowledge) (P-Value=0.01) and social support factors (evaluation) (P-Value=0.02). Hence, knowledge should be strengthened, and a screening process must be followed continuously informing the public of the results.