JOURNAL OF DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL AND INTEGRATED HEALTH SCIENCES

Factors Related to Safety Behaviors in Preventing Lead Exposure in Children among Cast Net Workers in Surat Thani Province

2025-07-29T11:24:56+07:00

This descriptive research aimed to 1) scrutinize the personal factors, knowledge, and safety practices for preventing lead exposure in children and 2) analyze the relationships among these factors among cast net makers in Surat Thani Province, Thailand. The study samples consisted of 145 cast net-making parents or guardians who had children aged 0–5 years living in the same household. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated by three experts, with a content validity index (IOC) of 0.98. The reliability of the knowledge section yielded a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.841, and that of the behavior section was 0.740. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The research findings revealed that the majority of respondents had a low level of knowledge regarding safety in preventing lead exposure in children (37.9%) and a moderate level of safety practices (35.2%). The results of the correlation analysis exhibited that safety behaviors in preventing lead exposure in children were significantly related to family income (p-value=0.031) and safety knowledge in preventing lead exposure in children (p-value< 0.01). This research recommends promoting and providing education on lead safety in children who work as fishing net operators or are exposed to lead, and emphasizing practices to reduce lead exposure in children from birth to 5 years of age.

Factors Associated with Depression In High School Students in Pakphanang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

2025-07-16T09:37:31+07:00

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to investigate factors associated with depression among high school students in Pak Phanang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. A total of 240 study samples were randomly selected using stratified random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire consisting of 8 sections: 1) personal information, 2) family ties, 3) friendship ties, 4) bullying, 5) social media addiction, 6) motivation or mental strength, 7) self-esteem, and 8) a depression screening questionnaire (The Thai version of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents: PHQ-A). Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics including numbers, percentages, means and standard deviations, and inferential statistics including Chi-square and binary logistic regression. The research findings revealed that the sample group had depression in total of 87 people (36.25%). Of the sample group with depression, 84 people (35%) were found to have the opportunity to commit suicide, with 23 people (9.58%) being in the high-risk group. The group with depression had the opportunity to commit suicide as high as 11.94 times when compared to the group without depression. The results of the multivariate analysis related to depression indicated 4 important variables: having low family bonding was 5.17 times more likely to have depression than the group with high family bonding (95% CI: 1.459-18.32, p-value<0.01), being bullied at school was 2.43 times more likely to have depression than the group that was not bullied (95% CI: 1.151-5.118, p-value=0.02), having low willpower was 4.60 times more likely to have depression than the group with high willpower (95% CI: 1.066-19.842, p-value =0.041), and having low self-esteem had a chance of developing depression 11.90 times, compared to the high self-esteem group (95% CI: 2.132-66.382, p-value < 0.01).

Factors Associated with Oral Health Status and Caries Incidence of Sealant in the First Molar Teeth in Takua Thung District, Phang Nga Province

2025-07-04T08:49:38+07:00

Dental caries is a preventable disease but it is still common among early elementary school students. This cross-sectional research aimed at examining oral health status, dental health behaviors, sealant adherence, and factors associated with oral health status and caries incidence of sealant-treated first molars in Takua Thung District, Phang Nga Province. The study samples consisted of 245 primary school students who had received pit and fissure sealing on their first permanent molars in the 2023 academic year. Data were collected using a personal data record form and assessment of sealant adhesion, plaque assessment, and caries status assessment of the first permanent molar. The research instrument was validated by standardization and reliability. The research results demonstrated that the majority of the study samples were male (55.5%), had dental caries (46.9%), had moderate to severe plaque on their teeth (60.4%), and had teeth with carious plaque (22.6%). In terms of oral health behavior, it was shown that most of the samples drank soft drinks 4-7 days/week (44.1%), followed by eating and chewing hard candies and sticky foods every meal or 4-7 times/week (41.2%). The adherence of different sealants on the first tooth resulted in statistically significant differences in dental health status. The adherence of fully bonded sealants resulted in statistically significant differences in dental health status compared with the adherence of completely de-bonded sealants. The analysis of associated factors revealed that male gender (aOR = 4.63, 95% CI: 2.32-9.24, p-value < 0.01), dental plaque (aOR = 3.56, 95% CI: 1.72-7.37 p-value < 0.01), eating between meals (aOR = 7.43, 95% CI: 3.43-16.08, p-value < 0.01), eating snacks 4-7 days/week (aOR = 3.72, 95% CI: 1.77-7.84 p-value < 0.01), and eating candy (aOR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.59-5.55 p-value < 0.01) were significantly associated with oral health status and caries incidence of sealed first molars at 12 months.

The Establishment Success of the Medical Molecular Biology Laboratory Department of Medical technology and Clinical Pathology, Thasala Hospital

2025-03-10T14:39:39+07:00

This study aimed at analyzing the success of the development of the Medical Molecular Biology Laboratory in establishing the laboratory and evaluating the development of the Medical Molecular Biology Laboratory Quality System at the Department of Medical Technology and Clinical Pathology of Thasala Hospital. The application for laboratory competency certification for COVID-19 testing and cervical cancer screening using HPV DNA was conducted using Stufflebeam's CIPP Model or CIPP model. The findings of the study on the establishment of a laboratory that had been certified by the Department of Medical Sciences network for SARS-CoV-2 infection analysis using the RT-qPCR method and cervical cancer screening using HPV DNA testing using the high-risk human papillomavirus reagent kit for 14 strains, and the results of the analysis of success factors, could be summarized as follows: 4 important factors of the laboratory: context, development input factors, development process, and development output. These factors would be pivotal for providing services to the network of 5 community hospitals in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Accurate, fast and precise laboratory analysis results give rise to confidence in service recipients, which is a management achievement that contributes to the morale and pride of all executives and related personnel

Interdisciplinary Approach for Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control

2025-08-18T21:12:01+07:00

Disease prevention is a population-based and individual-based intervention for primary and secondary prevention, aimed at minimizing the burden of disease and its associated risk factors. These strategies aim not only to prevent disease occurrence through risk reduction, but also to address the complications of the disease as they manifest. The natural history of disease can be classified into five stages: initial, susceptible, subclinical, clinical, and recovery/disability/death. Therefore, disease prevention and control measures are aligned, designed to cover these five stages: 1) primodial prevention 2) primary prevention 3) secondary prevention 4) tertiary prevention และ 5) quaternary prevention. The dynamics of global change, including biological, physical, and social changes such as evolutionary biology, urbanization, aging societies, natural disasters, and climate change, have both positive and negative impacts on human health and quality of life, particularly emerging and re-emerging diseases and health hazards from the environment and changing lifestyles. These changing factors are spurring the creation and development of new knowledge, approaches, strategies, policy recommendations, and innovations for disease and health hazard prevention and control. This article compiles, analyzes, and synthesizes research works related to interdisciplinary approaches to communicable disease prevention and control by the authors and reviews relevant literature and research on interdisciplinary issues and communicable disease prevention and control published in academic journals both in Thailand and internationally from 1951 to 2025. "Interdisciplinary Disease Prevention and Control," which integrates disease prevention and control, health promotion, environmental health, occupational health, and other interdisciplinary disciplines, is therefore of utmost importance for public health professionals, medical personnel, public health staff, and other related interdisciplinary professionals in jointly creating a strong and sustainable health system and achieving the well-being of the Thai people and all of humanity.