Effects of empowerment program by using participation process and social support for family leadership in the prevention of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Kokkhong Subdistrict Municipality, Chanuman District, Amnat Charoen Province

Abstract

The research aimed to study the results of the empowerment program by using a participatory learning and social support in prevention of dengue hemorrhagic fever and compare behavior in participation in prevention of the disease in question, knowledge on dengue hemorrhagic fever, perception of the risks, awareness of the fever severity and an index of the prevalence of larvae of mosquitoes between the experimental group and the controlled group. The samples numbering 128 were family leaders in Tambon Kokkong of Chanuman district, Amnat Charoen province. They were derived by a cluster random sampling. The experimental group participated in the program for 8 weeks. The research instrument was divided into two sets. Set one was the empowerment program through the participatory learning social support in prevention of the dengue hemorrhagic fever for the family leaders. Set two was the instruments used to collect data. The instruments were the following: the test concerned with knowledge on the disease, which had a difficulty value from 0.30 to 0.78, a discrimination value from 0.45 to 0.97, a confidence value equivalent to 0.80; the test on perception of the risks to the diseases, which had a confidence value equivalent to 0.817; a test on perception of the disease severity with a confidence value equivalent to 0.808. There was also a test on the participation behavior in prevention of the dengue hemorrhagic fever with a confidence value equivalent to 0.703. Statistics used in data analysis were percentage, mean, standard deviation, and t-test. The research results were as follows (1) Participation of the family leaders who were given the program in the prevention of the dengue hemorrhagic fever was at the good level. (2)The family leaders who were given the program participated in the prevention of the disease more than their counterparts who were not given the program at a statistical significance of 0.05. (3) The family leaders who were given the program had a higher degree of perception of the disease, the potential risks and the severity of the disease than their counterparts who were not given the program at a statistical significance of 0.05 and (4) The index of the prevalence of larvae of mosquitoes of the families of the leaders who were given the program had BI, HI, and CI at a lower level.