Development Approaches for Enhancing Village Health Volunteers' Capacity in COVID-19 Prevention and Control at Ban Tha Mueang Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, Don Mot Daeng District, Ubon Ratchathani Province.

Abstract

     This action research aimed to study the context, develop, and evaluate the effectiveness of capacity development for Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) in COVID-19 prevention and control at Ban Tha Mueang Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, Don Mot Daeng District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. The study participants included 111 VHVs and 25 key informants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and questionnaires. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Paired Samples t-test.

     The findings revealed that Tha Mueang subdistrict demonstrated tight-knit community characteristics conducive to disease control. VHVs exhibited proactive roles but encountered five major challenges: unclear communication, lack of practical skills, digital divide, resource shortages, and decreased motivation. Researchers subsequently developed the 5C Model comprising Capacity building, Communication enhancement, Coordination strengthening, Compensation and motivation, and Continuity and sustainability. Following implementation of the 5C Model, VHVs with high-level knowledge of COVID-19 increased from 68.5% to 94.6%, positive attitudes toward COVID-19 rose from 61.3% to 86.5%, and high-level COVID-19 prevention and control behaviors increased from 10.8% to 100%. Comparison of mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors before and after implementing the 5C Model showed statistically significant improvements in all domains (p = .001) with large effect sizes (Cohen's d of 0.92, 1.05, and 2.30, respectively).