Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Community Research
Table of Contents
Concerns, Uses, and Home Treatment of the Community Water Supply
System in Ban Tha Pho, Thailand .................................................................... 2
Hsa Hser Ku, Sara Mar, Abbey Marino
Risk Factors for Dog Biting and Owners’ Knowledge of Responsible Dog
Ownership ........................................................................................................ 10
Aja Beckham, Victoria Lai, Olivia Rainer
Abstract. Aims: The objectives of this investigation were to identify common uses of the community water supply in the vil-
lage of Ban Tha Pho and to determine community members’ concerns and behaviors regarding the water supply. Methods:
One focus group and 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants in the focus group were sampled pur-
posefully, including the village headman, the headman assistant, head VHV, and one worker from the water treatment plant.
Participants for the semi-structured interviews were selected using stratified convenience sampling. Results: In Ban Tha Pho,
22 people (73.3%) stated the cleanliness of water was a concern, such as seeing dirt and dust in the water. Reports of foul-
smelling water, especially during the summer, was a concern for 12 participants (40%). At-home water treatment methods are
used by one-third of the villagers interviewed. The two methods used were alum and a cloth. The community water supply is
not used as a source of drinking water. Rainwater was the most common drinking water source (75%), followed by the weekly
water truck. Conclusion: Increasing knowledge of water treatment methods may be beneficial in addressing community mem-
bers’ concerns about the water supply quality in Ban Tha Pho.
water supply in a rural community, and to discover pond that is shared among multiple villages in the
the most common home treatment techniques em- area including Ban Tha Pho. Water from the pond
ployed to clean the water. then flows into the pump house where it is trans-
ferred to the water treatment plant (Fig. 1).
2.0 Methods and Materials
The water treatment plant in Ban Tha Pho uses mat and translated to community members in Thai
alum as a coagulant followed by a series of 20 baf- using a translator.
fles. The water then proceeds to a settling tank be-
fore entering a sand and gravel filter. Chlorine is Table 1. Sample of Semi-Structured Interview Questions
added to the filtered water, piped into a storage tank
and then stored in the water tower before being dis- 1 How do you use your tap water?
tributed to community homes (Fig. 2). Maintenance
of the water treatment plant occurs once every three 1a What do you not use your tap water for?
months. Common maintenance activities include
removing the dirt that collects in the settling tank 2 How often do you (a) shower, (b) wash
and washing the baffles. clothes, (c) wash dishes, (d) wash produce,
(e) cook with the tap water?
2.2 Participants and Sampling Strategy
3 What source of water do you use for
drinking water?
The participants in the focus group were sampled
purposefully, including the village headman, the
4 Do you have any concerns about the tap
headman assistant, head VHV, and one worker from
water? If so, what are the concerns?
the water treatment plant. The target population for
the semi-structured interviews was 30 households in
4a Do you think this causes any problems? If
Ban Tha Pho and were selected using stratified con-
so, what?
venience sampling. Researchers divided the com-
munity into three zones and sampled approximately 5 Do you do anything to try and make the
10 households from each zone. One of the village tap water cleaner? If so, do you think it is
health volunteers led researchers through the com- effective? Why or why not?
munity to find participants for the semi-structured
interviews. The target participants of the semi- 6 Are you aware of the upcoming change to
structured interviews were the heads of the house- the community water supply?
holds. Inclusion criteria for participation were (a)
household tap water came from the reservoir, (b) 6a What do you think about the change?
lived in Ban Tha Pho for at least five years, (c) can
read, write, and understand Thai, and (d) were at
least 18 years old.
A focus group was conducted with the village Data collected from the semi-structured inter-
headman, the headman assistant, head VHV, and views was analyzed using qualitative content analy-
one worker from the water treatment plant. The fo- sis. After all the interviews were completed, catego-
cus group lasted approximately 45 minutes and was ries for coding and coding units were defined based
used to gather information about the overall com- on recurring themes and responses. Data was ana-
munity perspectives about the water supply. Addi- lyzed using descriptive statistics in Microsoft Excel
tionally, the focus group defined coding responses to determine the frequency of responses. Additional-
for some of the semi-structured questions. ly, thematic analysis was used to report the focus
Semi-structured interviews were held to collect group and interview responses in a narrative format.
information about how community members use the
reservoir water, their concerns about the water sup-
ply, and any actions they take to remediate the prob- 2.5 Ethics
lem. Each interview lasted approximately 10
minutes. Questions for the interview were developed Translators were employed to gain verbal consent
prior to the community visit and refined after infor- from each participant at the commencement of each
mation was obtained during the focus group (Table interview and focus group. Participants were aware
1). Questions were presented in an open-ended for- that the study was completely voluntary and all of
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 6
The presence of worms and insects in the water sup- 3.5 Drinking Water Sources
ply was a concern for six villagers (20%).
Rash development and itchiness after showering Of those interviewed, no families reported using
were concerns expressed by four community mem- the reservoir water for drinking. The most common
bers. There were also reports that after doing laun- source of drinking water was from rainwater collect-
dry, their clothes would come out dirtier than before. ed at their homes. 21 participants, or 75%, use this
Other community members reported a mental health source (Fig. 5). The other 25% purchase their drink-
effect from frequent paranoia because they were ing water from the water truck that comes every
uncomfortable with using the water supply knowing week.
that it was unclean. Some worried about the invisi-
ble contaminants within the water, namely that there
may be bacteria in the water that could cause disease.
Participants also expressed that the reservoir is
not sufficient for meeting community water needs,
as it has been known to run out. When asked about
how they felt about the water supply switch to the
Nam Phong River, most people said they thought
the water would be cleaner because the water is reg-
ularly tested and compared to a national standard.
Furthermore, villagers believed using the Nam
Phong River would meet the demands of all the sur-
rounding villages who use this source and address
the problem of water quantity.
3.4 At-Home Water Treatment Methods Figure 5: Drinking Water Sources (n=28)
with the water’s cleanliness. Generally, community the water supply through the unmaintained distribu-
members were unaware of possible at-home meth- tion pipes. Some community members take the initi-
ods and those that did treat at home were uncertain ative to treat their tap water at home using cloth fil-
of the effectiveness. Many community members tration and alum, but in general most participants do
believe switching the tap water source to the Nam not self-treat their water. The results suggest a gap
Phong River will be beneficial to the community, in understanding the community water treatment and
despite knowledge of pollution from upstream facto- supply system. Increasing knowledge of methods for
ries. This demonstrates how the risk perception of at-home water treatment may be beneficial in ad-
the water quality is largely based on what is “known” dressing community members’ concerns about the
to the community. Community members would ra- water supply quality in Ban Tha Pho.
ther draw their tap water from the river because they
know it is tested by the Pollution Control Depart- 6.0 Acknowledgements
ment and thus believe it meets a standard that is safe
for their health. However, should the water not meet This research would not have been possible had it
the standard, it is unclear how quickly the problem not been for the community members of Ban Tha
could be resolved. Pho who graciously welcomed us into their homes,
Research was conducted from different house- introduced us to the Isaan way of life, and were in-
holds representing three areas of the community. credibly willing to share their knowledge with us.
Researchers were able to meet with community We would specifically like to thank Ban Tha Pho’s
leaders and water treatment employees to gain a Headman, Headman’s Assistant, and the many Vil-
broader understanding of the treatment system and lage Health Volunteers for the hours spent in focus
general community perspective. Some of this per- groups, interviews, and on tours of the water treat-
spective, however, was lost in translation. ment plant. We would also like to thank our transla-
The language barrier presented an issue during tor, Ban Ban, for interpreting our conversations,
the interviews, as there were moments when English striving for answers, and maintaining positivity
translations were exceptionally shorter than the an- throughout all phases of this research project. Lastly,
swers given in Thai. The sampling scheme was also we are incredibly appreciative to all of our CIEE
not completely random in each of the three areas, as faculty, specifically Ajaan Toon and Ajaan Anthony
the snowball effect was often employed. Research- in the Faculty of Public Health for a semester of
ers were led to homes filled with groups of neigh- guidance, input, and support.
bors and families who were working together. At
these homes, multiple interviews were conducted
within the same area, allowing participants to hear 7.0 References
interview questions and others’ answers long before
it was their turn to answer. Community members Babayan, G. H., Sakoyan, G. A., &
were engaged and willing to help with this process, Sahakyan, G. A. (2017). Assessing the
but there was one Meh specifically who accompa-
Quality of Water from Surface Sources
nied researchers to interviewees’ homes. Meh would,
at times, join in the questioning process. She would of Drinking Water Supply to Towns of
offer suggestions for answers that converted some South Armenia. Electronic Journal Of
open-ended questions into leading questions. Thus, Natural Sciences, 28(1), 3-9.
these influences may have introduced bias into the Bordalo, A. A., Nilsumranchit, W., &
results. Chalermwat, K. (2001). Water Quality
and Uses of the Bangpakong River
5.0 Conclusion
(Eastern Thailand). Water Research,
Research reflected community members’ con- 35(15): 3635-3642.
cerns regarding water quality, including turbidity, Gottinger, A. M., McMartin, D. W., Price,
insects, and other particulates often found in their D. & Hanson, B. (2011). The
tap water. These particulates should have been re- effectiveness of slow sand filters to
moved in the water treatment process, which leads treat Canadian rural prairie water.
community members to assume particulates re-enter Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering,
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 9
38, 455-463.
Krupa, M., Tate, K. W., Kessel, C., Sarwar,
N. & Linquist, B. A. (2011). Water
quality in rice-growing watersheds in a
Mediterranean climate. Agriculture,
Ecosystems and Environment, 144,
290-301.
Kruawal K, Sacher F, Werner A, Muller J,
Knepper TP. (2004). Chemical water
quality in Thailand and its impacts on
the drinking water production in
Thailand. Science of the Total
Environment. 340: 57-70.
Kwaandsteneit, M., Dobrowsky, P. H.,
Deventer, A., Khan, W., & Cloete, T. E.
(2013). Domestic Rainwater Harvesting:
Microbial and Chemical Water Quality
and Point-of-Use Treatment Systems.
Water Air and Soil Pollution, 224, 1629.
Pinfold, J. V., Horan, N. J., Wirojanagud,
W., & Mara, D. (1992). The
Bacteriological Quality of Rainjar
Water in Rural Northeast Thailand.
Water Research, 27(2): 297-302.
Singkran, N. (2017). Determining overall
water quality related to anthropogenic
influences across freshwater systems
of Thailand. International Journal of
Water Resources Development, 33(1):
132-151.
Sthiannopkao, S., Takizawa, S., Homewang,
J., & Wirojanagud, W. (2006). Soil
erosion and its impacts on water
treatment in the northeastern provinces
of Thailand. Environment International,
33:706-711.
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 10
Abstract. Aims: This study aimed to identify potential risk factors that induce dog bites and to assess villagers’ knowledge of
dog ownership and how this relates to dog bite prevention in Ban Sam Ran. Methods: Students conducted 10 semi-structured
interviews with dog bite victims to identify potential trends that provoke dog biting. To qualify dog ownership in the village,
13 semi-structured interviews with dog owners were given, including three of the 10 dog biting victims who owned dogs. Re-
searchers conducted in-depth interviews with representatives from the Health Promoting Hospital and Municipality to gather
records on number of dog biting incidents and existing programs and policies. Results: Two of the 13 dog owners interviewed
had been bitten by their own dog. Most bites were delivered to the extremities and did not cause severe injury. Out of the 13
dog owners, 10 let their dogs freely roam during the day; this may be a factor in that 8 out of 10 victims were bit by dogs
owned by another community member. Conclusion: There is a deficit in community members’ knowledge of risky situations
that can lead to a dog bite injury. Students will host a community meeting with a vet to increase education and awareness of
risky situations that may result in a dog bite injury.
Although less than 20 people died from rabies in 1.4 Existing Policy and Practice in Thailand
2003, over 400,000 people required rabies post-
exposure prophylaxis that year (Denduangboripant Local municipalities in Thailand are responsible
et al., 2005). While transmission of the rabies virus for monitoring the local dog population. In accord-
is relatively controlled, the high frequency of dog ance with chapter 5 of the Animal Welfare law, the
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 12
owner must provide appropriate measures to ensure forts, enforcement of related laws, and about general
the wellbeing of their pet, and will receive a fine or practices of community dog owners. The first inter-
jail time if they unlawfully abandon their animal. view was conducted with a local practicing veteri-
Additionally, through the national rabies program, narian. The second interview was conducted with an
Thailand has started a national responsible pet own- officer from the Ban Sam Ran Municipality, who is
ership campaign. This campaign has four main ac- responsible for monitoring the dog population.
tivities: dog population survey and registration, Another 10 participants were selected using pur-
mass vaccination campaign, dog population control, posive sampling. The participants had to be a dog
and public relation and parade campaign (OIE, owner whose dog had never bitten anyone. Because
2014). most residents arrived home late in the evening be-
tween 6:00 and 10:00 p.m., it was difficult to ar-
1.5 Education and Prevention range interviews with some dog owners. Research-
ers then, used snowball sampling to ask if partici-
Raising awareness and increasing education may pants’ neighbors who owned dogs were available to
be the easiest ways to decrease dog biting incidences. be interviewed. Additionally, if dogs were gated
For example, knowing how to interpret dogs behav- within a home, researchers went to that home to
iors can be learned even by preschool children and interview the dog owner. Also, if there were free-
can be a useful tool to incorporate into prevention roaming dogs in the community, researchers asked
programs (Lakestani and Donaldson, 2015). neighbors who owned the dog and went to interview
Thailand has seen dramatic improvements in the the dog owner.
rabies epidemic, such that many villages report no All participants needed to be at least 18 years of
issues with rabies. Still, dogs pose health risks par- age, current residents of the community, and able to
ticularly from bite wounds. The objective of this communicate in Thai.
research was to identify the trends that may provoke
dog biting in a semi-urban community of Northeast 2.3 Instruments and Data Collection
Thailand with a large dog population. A community
action plan to increase awareness and education on Three in-depth interviews were conducted to in-
risky situations will be implemented after analyzing form researchers about existing programs and poli-
the data. cies in place to address the risk factors associated
with dog biting. The first interview was conducted
2.0 Methods and Materials with a representative at the HPH, who kept record of
the number of annual dog biting incidents. The se-
2.1 Study Design and Study Setting cond interview was conducted with an officer from
the Ban Sam Ran Municipality, who is responsible
This study took place in Ban Sam Ran, a semi- for monitoring the dog population. Additionally,
urban village in Northeast Thailand with a popula- researchers interviewed a practicing vet who works
tion of 373 people. This village is located in Ban at a clinic in Udon Thani Province. A Thai translator
Sam Ran sub-district, Muang district of Khon Kaen translated the interview questions for the HPH and
Province. Municipality into Thai. The vet spoke English and
researchers asked questions in English without an
2.2 Participants and Sampling Strategy interpreter present.
Semi-structured interviews with community
A list was obtained from the HPH that included members lasted approximately 10 minutes. Re-
the names and addresses of people who reported searchers collected information about participants’
being bitten by dogs during the previous year. Con- knowledge of dog training, how care for their dogs,
venience sampling was used to select ten partici- and dog biting incidents (Table 1). A Thai translator
pants to be interviewed. Researchers used the list to translated the interview questions from English to
find the homes of the patients, and then asked who- Thai. Additionally, clarifying and follow-up ques-
ever was home if they were available to participate tions were also translated.
in the interview.
In addition, two in-depth interviews were con-
ducted to inform researchers about vaccination ef-
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 13
21 What should the consequence be? Figure 1. Number of dog bite victims that re-
ceived the PEP vaccine per year.
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 14
3.2 Municipality’s Perspective into the water of the rice fields. Big dogs were usu-
ally never bathed in comparison to smaller dog.
The Municipality reported that people are not ed- All owners provided their dogs two meals a day,
ucated about how to identifying risky dog behaviors in the morning and at night. Most owners gave their
such as how to stop a dog fight, looking under their dogs leftovers including liver, chicken, sticky rice.
cars for dogs before approaching it, and general dog
safety precautions. They think the community would
benefit from having a vet come to educate commu-
nity members about safety involving dogs.
with their dog. Additionally, most dogs were al- 7.0 References
lowed to free-roam for large parts of the day. Alt-
hough rabies is controlled, there are risks of expo- Bongyoung K, Hyunjoo P, Yangsoon L. (2016)
sure to other infectious disease when a dog free Identification of Pasteurella canis in a soft tissue
roams (Durr, 2017). The community may benefit infection caused by a dog bite: the first report in
from a dog ownership program. Korea. Ann Lab Med; 36(6): 617-619.
Research was conducted from different house- Brogan TV, Bratton SL, Dowd MD, et al. (1995).
holds within the community. Researchers gathered Severe dog bites in children. Pediatrics; 96: 947-
information about the risk factors associated with 950.
dog bites and the knowledge that dog owners have Callaham M (1980). Dog bite wounds. JAMA; 244:
about taking care of dogs. 2327-2328.
One of the limitations of this study was that it was Denduangboripant et al (2005). Transmission dy-
difficult to interview the people on the HPH list be- namics of rabies virus in Thailand: Implications
cause many people arrived home in the late evening. for disease control. BMC Infectious Diseases.
It was challenging to find participants for the inter- Damborg P, Broens EM, Chomel BB, et al. (2016)
view. Thus, these factors may have limited our in- Bacterial zoonoses transmitted by household
sight to the risk factors associated with dog biting pets: state of the art and future perspectives for
and knowledge of responsible dog ownership targeted research and policy actions. Journal of
amongst community members. Comparative Pathology; 155(1): s27-s40.
Durr, S., Dhand, N., Bombara, C., Molloy, S., &
5.0 Conclusion Ward, M. (2017). What influences the home
range size of free-roaming domestic dogs? Epi-
This research highlighted some of the most com- demiology and Infection, 145(7),1339-1350.
mon situations in which dog biting incidents oc- Kasempilmoporn S, Benjavongkulchai M, Saengs-
curred, including aggressive, protective, and acci- eesom W, Sitprija V (2003). Oral bacterial flora
dental incidents. Increasing knowledge about safety of dogs with and without rabies: a preliminary
precautions with dogs may be beneficial. Addition- study of Thailand. J Med Assoc Thai; 86(12):
ally, research reports highlight dog owners’ 1162-1166.
knowledge of dog ownership responsibilities. In Kizer KW (1979). Epidemiologic and clinical as-
general, most dog owners do not take care of their pects of animal bite injuries. JACEP; 8: 134-141.
responsibilities to the pet. The community may ben- Lakestani N, Donaldson ML (2015) Dog Bite Pre-
efit from having a vet come educate the community vention: Effect of a Short Educational Interven-
and distribute educational material. tion for Preschool Children. PLoS ONE 10(8).
Mitmoonpitak C, Tepsumethenon V, Wilde H.
6.0 Acknowledgements (2013) Rabies in Thailand. Epidemiology Infec-
tious; 120: 165-169.
This research would not have been possible with- Moss SP and Wright JC (1987). The effects of dog
out the community members of Ban Sam Ran who ownership on judgements of dog bite likelihood.
participated in interviews and helped provide re- Anthrozoos; 1: 95-99.
searchers with insight about the community. Thank World Organisation for Animal Welfare (OIE).
you specifically to the Ban Sam Ran Headman, “Benchmark Document: Rabies and Rabies-
Headman Assistants, Head of the Health Promotion Related Initiatives in ASEAN Member States
Hospital, Head of the Village Health Volunteers, (2014).” (2014). Proceedings from the Workshop
and Village Health Volunteers. Also, thank you to on Relevant International Standard for Rabies.
our translator for helping us interpret conversations Chiang Mai, Thailand, 11-13 June 2014.
and better communicate with community members. Overall K and Love M (2001). Dog bites to humans
Thank you to Ajaan Anthony and Ajaan Toon for - demography, epidemiology, injury, and risk.
helping guide our research project. Finally, thank Journal of the American Veterinary Medical As-
you to CIEE for providing students with the oppor- sociation; 218(12): 1923-1934.
tunity to study abroad in Thailand and learn in a new Radjou A, Hanifah M, Govindaraj V. (2012) Teta-
environment. nus following dog bite. Indian Journal of Com-
munity Medicine; 37(3): 200-205.
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 17
Abstract. The purpose of this investigation was to determine strength and weaknesses in the lives of rural farmers in Northeast
Thailand. Methods. This study used a 6-person focus group to construct a Healthy Farmer Chart. This chart was then
disseminated in the form of 34 surveys to be completed by other rural farmers in the community. The farmers for the focus
group were sampled with the assistance of village health villagers. The 34 participants for the survey were selected due to their
occupation and availability during the day. Results: The main strengths listed by rural farmers were confidence/independence
(44%) followed by the ability to earn money, pride in work and pride in occupation as a farmer (38%). The main weaknesses
listed by rural farmers were their inability to earn enough money (73%), issues with aches and pains from farming (59%), and
poor physical health from using chemical fertilizer (56%). Farmers mentioned pride in their work as a family tradition but the
work ultimately takes a toll on their physical health while hindering their ability to earn enough income. Conclusion: Farming
for rural farmers in this village is met by many challenges. The first challenge is the falling rice prices, a major source of
income in this area, matched with increased burden of debt. The combination of low prices and high debt pushes farmers to
overextend themselves physically in the field, leading to a host of physical ailments.
A 40-minute focus group established qualities of Quantitative data gathered from the survey was
a healthy and an unhealthy farmer. This discussion entered and coded into a database using Microsoft
was facilitated using guided questions regarding Excel 2013. Descriptive statistics, namely the mean
physical, mental, and social health within the con- of participant’s ages and frequency of responses,
text of their profession as farmers. Participants cre- were calculated using Microsoft Excel.
ated a “healthy farmer chart” to describe the The farmers in the focus group defined the
strengths and weaknesses of farmers in the village strengths and weaknesses used in the Healthy
with regards to physical, mental, and social health. Farmer Chart. Strengths were defined as characteris-
This collaborative activity included the opinions of tics or qualities, which are beneficial to being a
all participants and the focus group’s consensus well-rounded and strong farmer in this village.
served as an accurate representation of criteria for Weaknesses were defined as characteristics, which
adequate versus inadequate health statuses of farm- would negatively impact a farmer and/or is seen as a
ers in Ban Tha Pho. quality of substandard farmer in the community.
The “healthy farmer chart” was generated collab- Both strengths and weaknesses were defined by un-
oratively with the community, and the definitions der the broad term of health and were chosen by
were created by participants in the focus group (Ta- participants in the focus group because of im-
ble 1). portance to themselves, the farming lifestyle, and/or
Using Table 1, a survey was conducted where the community. This allowed the community to
farmers in the community were asked to identify build the tool used in the surveys, rather than outsid-
which three healthy qualities they relate to as ers without knowledge of the farming community to
strengths and three unhealthy qualities they relate to define what are strong versus weak qualities of a
as weaknesses. This illustrated which strengths and farmer in this village. The strengths and weaknesses
weaknesses, within the scope of mental, physical, of a farmer were placed into the Healthy Farmer
and social health, hold the most significance in the Chart. During the survey, strengths and weaknesses
farmer’s personal experience given the list compiled for the community were defined as responses with
in the chart. the highest frequency. This conclusively brought the
A qualified translator familiar with the Isaan dia- standard for strong and weak qualities of a farmer
lect was used to translate questions and explanations into the Healthy Farmer Chart, and then defined
given by English-speaking researchers. what were strengths and what were weaknesses for
actual farmers in Ban Tha Pho.
.
Table 1. Healthy Farmer Chart
KKU Faculty of Public Health Journal of Community Research, Vol. 5 21