Communication Development and Online Opinions toward the Role of the Section of Health Promotion for Vulnerable Populations (Section 9)
Keywords:
Health Communication, Vulnerable Populations, Media Content Analysis, Online Social Listening, Health LiteracyAbstract
This research aimed to study the communication development and changes in issues and media formats on online channels of ThaiHealth Section 9, and to examine target audience opinions on online channels regarding the role of ThaiHealth Section 9 in promoting the health and well-being of ten specific vulnerable populations, namely older persons, persons with disabilities, the homeless, informal workers, migrant populations, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, prisoners, women affected by violence, and Muslims. A qualitative research methodology was employed, comprising Media Content Analysis of the Curious People page, Nab Rao Duay Khon page, and the Nab Rao Duay Khon radio program from 2020 to 2024, alongside Comment Analysis from 2,078 high-engagement posts totaling 13,585 comments, and Keyword Analysis using Ubersuggest. The findings revealed that Section 9's communication evolved significantly from individual storytelling toward structural and policy-oriented communication, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. The most prevalent media format was static images combined with Thought Leadership content, with the Expert persona being most frequently adopted, followed by Helpful and Friendly personas, delivered primarily in a formal and serious tone. Hashtags were found to perform four interlocking functions: agenda-setting, reframing, building collective identity, and reflecting the collaborative strategy of partner networks. Audience opinions were analyzed across three dimensions: health, health equity, and bias reduction. Comments on health were the most numerous, with most recipients demonstrating Functional Health Literacy by using the comment space to inquire about entitlements and exchange lived experiences. Comments on health equity, although fewer in volume, reflected an advancement toward Critical Health Literacy through rights claims and policy critique, while comments on bias reduction signaled a reframing of vulnerable populations from objects of pity to bearers of human dignity. A notable phenomenon of Submerged Branding was identified, wherein audiences recalled partner organization brands more readily than Section 9 as the primary supporter. Keyword analysis revealed that culturally-rooted content generated the highest levels of engagement and information-seeking behavior. These findings carry significant implications for health communication policy and strategy, suggesting that Section 9 and similar health-promotion organizations should strengthen organizational branding alongside partner content to address the Submerged Branding effect, and adopt culturally-rooted communication that connects with the lived realities of vulnerable populations as a core principle of content design, in order to elevate health literacy and concretely reduce inequities in access to health rights and services.
References
กรมประชาสัมพันธ์. (2566). การพัฒนาการสื่อสารจากความต้องการรัฐสวัสดิการของกลุ่มเปราะบาง (กลุ่มผู้สูงอายุ คนพิการ และผู้มีรายได้น้อย). กองยุทธศาสตร์และแผนงาน. https://plan.prd.go.th/th/content/category/detail/id/1278/cid/15/iid/173214
ชาคร เลิศนิทัศน์ และสมชัย จิตสุชน. (2563). ความเปราะบางของประชาชนกลุ่มเปราะบางภายใต้โควิด-19. วารสารสังคมสงเคราะห์ศาสตร์และการบริหารสังคม.
อลงกรณ์ ปริวุฒิพงศ์. (2562). สื่อไทยกับการเคารพและส่งเสริมสิทธิมนุษยชนของกลุ่มผู้ที่อยู่ในสถานการณ์เปราะบาง. คณะนิเทศศาสตร์ จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย.
Andreasen, A. R. (2006). Social marketing in the 21st century. SAGE Publications.
Berlo, D. K. (1960). The process of communication: An introduction to theory and practice. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Giles, D. (2018). Twenty-first century media and information warfare: Fake news, social media and government responses. Routledge.
Giuliani, M. (2025). How to apply social media content pillars to your strategy in 2025. Planable. https://planable.io/blog/social-media-content-pillars/
Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the management of spoiled identity. Prentice Hall.
Hastings, G. (2007). Social marketing: Why should the devil have all the best tunes? Butterworth-Heinemann.
International Labour Organization. (2021). ILO policy brief: The impact of COVID-19 on migrant workers and policy responses. https://www.ilo.org/global/publications
Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Kreps, G. L., & Maibach, E. W. (2008). Health communication and behavior change. Routledge.
Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2001). Conceptualizing stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 363–385. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.363
Nutbeam, D. (2000). Health literacy as a public health goal: A challenge for contemporary health education and communication strategies into the 21st century. Health Promotion International, 15(3), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/15.3.259
Nutbeam, D. (2008). The evolving concept of health literacy. Social Science & Medicine, 67(12), 2072–2078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.09.050
Patel, N. (2021). Content pillars: Why you need them and how to create them. Neil Patel Digital. https://neilpatel.com/blog/content-pillars/
Schiavo, R. (2014). Health communication: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Shannon, C. E., & Weaver, W. (1949). The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press.
Stone, D. A. (1984). The disabled state. Temple University Press.
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Brooks/Cole.
World Health Organization. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on health systems and health equity. https://www.who.int/publications
World Health Organization. (2024). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health
