Abstract:
The present study was based on a participatory action research (PAR) design with the objectives of
developing a participatory health care model for farmers and stakeholders involved in snakeskin gourami
fish farming in Bang Bo District. The study was conducted from 1 May 2017 – 30 April 2018. The sample
was composed of 85 people who were fish farmers, fish pond owners and fish farming laborers involved in
the processing and distribution of snakeskin gourami, 35 VHVs (village health volunteers), 1 registered
nurse and 1 administrator of a Tambon Health Promoting Hospital (THPH) for a total of 122 subjects. The
PAR process was composed of the following three stages: Stage 1- Situation Analysis; Stage 2 -
Participatory Action Research Process and Stage 3 – Outcome Evaluation.
According to the findings, there were two types of health problems as follows: 1) work-related
problems: incorrect work behaviors such as lifting heavy objects 1-5 times per day, repetitive work
postures/positions causing aching bones and muscles and working fast to obtain large amounts and finish
in time until work-related accidents occur such as knife cuts, pricked fingers from fish fins and slips/falls;
2) Risks and illnesses caused by chronic disease. The synthesis of the participatory health care model found
that the health care activities covered the following four dimensions: health promotion; disease prevention;
treatment and recovery. The sample had a high level of satisfaction in the organization of the project at a
mean of 4.40 of 5 points.
