Exploring Readiness towards Effective Implementation of Safety and Health Measures for COVID-19 Prevention in Nakhon-Si-Thammarat Community-Based Tourism of Southern Thailand

Thailand’s community-based tourism (CBT) faces a challenging adaptation in response to COVID-19 prevention. This study aimed to assess the readiness for effective implementation of the Safety and Health Administration (SHA) for COVID-19 prevention in the tourism community. A qualitative approach was adopted for this study. Three communities covering all types of CBT in Nakhon-Si-Thammarat province, southern Thailand were purposively chosen. Fifteen key informants were invited to participate in the study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using the thematic analysis method. The readiness stage was assigned by consensual comprehensive scores. The overall readiness of CBT is pre-planning stage, a clear recognition of the SHA benefit, and there are sufficient resources for implementation. At this stage, there is no planning because the business owners feel that they have inadequate knowledge about the SHA protocol. Another main barrier is having limited accessibility for SHA information which mainly provides through with technology platform. The CBT owner needs to improve public health-based knowledge, technology and cooperation skills to operate SHA efficiently. However, in order to embed SHA to the CBT, tourism and public health organisation should provide suitable methods at the initiation stage by considering the community readiness and need

Work Ability, Work-Related Health, and Effort–Reward Imbalance: A Cross-Sectional Study among University Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand

During the COVID-19 pandemic, university policies and public health measures resulted in university staff facing hazardous work environments and psychological health problems. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the association between sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, work-related health, effort and reward imbalance (ERI), and work ability among university staff in southern Thailand. Data were collected using stratified random sampling of 381 participants between April and September 2022. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between the variables. The majority of the participants were female (63.5%) and aged below 45 years old (52%). Nearly 70% of the participants reported the absence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while half of them were overweight, and 54.9% had an effort–reward ratio (ERR) greater than one. Most participants reported good-to-excellent work ability (82.4%). The probability of having poor-to-moderate work ability was higher among staff working from home (adj. OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.3, 4.6), those with NCDs (adj. OR = 3.5; 95% CI: 2.0, 6.4), those who followed poor health behaviors (adj. OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.4, 4.9), and those who had an ERR greater than one (adj. OR = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.5, 5.6). In conclusion, the majority of university staff in southern Thailand had good-to-excellent work ability. Work ability was associated with the presence of NCDs, poor health behavior, working from home, and ERI. Therefore, universities should create suitable occupational health programs and resources to mitigate the negative effects of work conditions, including ERI, and promote healthy behaviors for their staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and future disasters

Bone Mass, Body Mass Index, and Lifestyle Factors: A Case Study of Walailak University Staff

To assess bone mineral density (BMD) and explore lifestyle factors affecting BMD in 310 staff of Walailak University aged 25 - 45 years (men = 23.23 % and women 76.77 %). BMD was evaluated by Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) analysis at the left distal-third radius. Anthropometric data including body mass index (BMI) and waist circumferences (WC) were measured, and lifestyle behaviors were also explored using the questionnaire. BMD status of both men and women showed similar results, 14.84 and 0.97 % of both genders were determined to have osteopenia and osteoporosis, respectively. Important data demonstrated the highest numbers of younger women aged 25 - 30 with osteopenia (30.61 %). Anthropometric results showed that 44.83 % of all subjects represented abnormal BMI (BMI < 18.5 and BMI  ³  23), and percentages of the men who had BMI more than 23 (51.39 %) were larger than those of the women (30.67 %). In contrast, only 26.45 % of both genders demonstrated abnormal WC, and the numbers for women were higher. Descriptive data of beverage consumption showed that most of men and women subjects had caffeine and carbonated beverage intakes less than 7 cups per week (73.61 and 87.82 %) and less than 3 cups per week (95.83 and 97.06 %) respectively, whereas only 9.72 and 26.89 % of men and women consumed more than 3 packs of milk per week. Results of lifestyle behaviors showed that almost all subjects preferred exercise, but only 47.22 and 31.09 % of men and women exercises 3 or more times per week. The multivariate analysis showed that BMD status is significantly associated with age group and BMI (OR = 3.30, CI, 1.086 – 6.3747 and OR = 0.43, CI, 0.2697 – 0.9805, respectively) after adjusting for age and gender. Normal BMI and older age group are the potential determinants, and other risk factors such as caffeine and carbonated beverages are sufficient concerns in adults

Percentage of knowledge level, practice level on SHA standard, and compliance level of SHA standard of each community.

Percentage of knowledge level, practice level on SHA standard, and compliance level of SHA standard of each community.</p

Sociodemographic characteristics of participants.

Community-based tourism (CBT) in Thailand faces challenges in adapting to COVID-19 prevention measures. The purpose of the study was to evaluate levels of knowledge, practice, and compliance regarding safety and health measures of the entrepreneur in managing CBT under the Safety and Health Administration (SHA) standard in the new normal situation. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on twenty-one entrepreneurs from three CBTs in three districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat, in the months of February—May 2021. Levels of knowledge and practice were evaluated by questionnaires and compliance level was evaluated by SHA standard checklist. The level of knowledge and practice were categorized sufficient and insufficient, while compliance level was categorized as high or low if scores met or exceeded 80%, based on Bloom’s cut-off point. Information on sociodemographic characteristics was also gathered. Fisher’s exact test with a 95% confidence level (α </div

The association between training, knowing about SHA standards, tourism rewards, and practice level using a Fisher’s exact test.

The association between training, knowing about SHA standards, tourism rewards, and practice level using a Fisher’s exact test.</p

Knowledge, practice, and compliance levels of (A) the rural fishing community (n = 5), (B) the sub-urban orchard community (n = 7), and (C) the rural mountain community (n = 9) on each of the SHA measures (2 was sufficient/high level, 1 was insufficient/low level).

Knowledge, practice, and compliance levels of (A) the rural fishing community (n = 5), (B) the sub-urban orchard community (n = 7), and (C) the rural mountain community (n = 9) on each of the SHA measures (2 was sufficient/high level, 1 was insufficient/low level).</p

The association between knowledge, practice, and compliance level using a Fisher’s exact test.

The association between knowledge, practice, and compliance level using a Fisher’s exact test.</p

Compliance percentage with COVID-19 prevention measures.

Compliance percentage with COVID-19 prevention measures.</p