Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of self-protective behavior from Particulate Matter 2.5 among the people in Koh Chang Sub-district, Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai

Abstract

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), refers to tiny particles with a diameter less than 2.5 microns. They are primarily formed through fuel combustion (especially vehicles, and agricultural burning) and manufacturing industries. PM 2.5 is small enough to penetrate deeply into the lung, if it is received in large amounts or long time, it will be accumulated in the lung tissue and cause respiratory diseases. According to the Pollution Control Department of Thailand, PM 2.5 levels should not exceed 50 µg/m³, but during February 11 to March 19, 2019, widespread elevated levels of PM 2.5 were carried in Koh Chang sub district, Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, with the high average PM 2.5 concentrations about 333.09 µg/m³, about 6.67 times higher than the standard level. In addition, within this area, no research has been conducted yet about knowledge as well as practical skills for protecting oneself from small particle dusts such as PM 2.5. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of self-protective behavior (K A P) from PM 2.5 among the people lived in Koh Chang sub district, Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai. This study was conducted on 404 participants, which were stratified cluster sampling from total population of 8,836 and calculated the sample size by using Krejcie and Morgan Table. The training about “educating, strengthen the attitude, and self-protective behavior from PM 2.5” was provided to the participants. The questionnaire applied from the relevant literature was used as a tool to evaluate the general information (5 items), and the K A P about self-protective behavior from PM 2.5 (10 items for each). The assessments of K A P level (a score of high, moderate, and low) by this questionnaire were performed 3 times (before and after providing the training and following up 1 week after the training). The results showed that majority of the participants was male (52.2%), aged 41-60 years (66.09%), educated from primary school (62.1%), and agriculturists (52.7%). Scores of K A P of participants were significantly increased (p < 0.05), after attending the training and after 1 week following up. Levels of K A P associated with self-protective behavior among the participants were significantly higher after attending the training, and maintained after 1 week following up. These might be due to several warning approaches provided in the training, which can be used to maintain proper knowledge, strengthen awareness, and support appropriate behavior regarding self-protection about PM 2.5.