Guidelines for Community Wellbeing Development with Village Health Volunteers’ Participation During COVID-19 Pandemics In Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand

Abstract

This research is an integrated qualitative-quantitative approach. Its objective was to develop a guideline for community wellbeing development through the village health volunteer participation during the outbreak of COVID-19, in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, Thailand. The key informants for qualitative approach were recruited through the purposive sampling technique, 680 people including the Directors of Tambon Health Promoting Hospitals, Presidents of Tambon Administrative Organizations, community leaders, and village health volunteers in Aranyaprathet district. Tools for collecting data were in-depth interviews and non-participant observation, and the obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. The quantitative research samples consisted of 351 people of Aranyaprathet district, selected by using hierarchical random sampling. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire, and the analytical statistics were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The results were summarized as a draft guideline of developing the community wellbeing for village health volunteers during the outbreak of COVID-19. The draft of guideline was brought up for a group discussion among 10 experts to confirm and summarize as the guideline for developing the community wellness through participation of village health volunteers during the outbreak of COVID-19. The study results found that community wellness development with village health volunteers’ participation during the outbreak of COVID-19 (COVID-19), in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, Thailand, consisted of 3 main factors: 1) factor of community leaders, directors of the Health Promotion  Hospital, local leaders, and monks, whose functions were to form the policy, support budget and encouragement, 2) factor of village health volunteers who had to walk and knock on the door to screen and give advice about the disease to people; 3) factor of individuals and families who had to abide by the policy and cooperate with the healthy activities. All three factors were the essential cores contributing to community wellbeing. The participatory working process consisted of four steps. 1) Participatory community wellbeing planning included activities to explore the problem, mobilize participation, and prepare village statutes. 2) Implementation of the planned activities for community wellbeing: there were setting up activities for screening checkpoints for entering and exiting villages, developing the potential of village health volunteers, and knocking door for screening and giving advice. 3) Monitoring and evaluating community wellbeing: activities included both formal follow-up activities by meeting, and informal follow-up by greeting and questioning in any convenient occasion. 4) Returning benefits to the community: activities included sharing knowledge and publicizing process and outcomes to others for learning as a practical model to reduce the spread of the disease in society in the future.