Factors related to prevention behaviors of Hand-Foot-Mouth disease among teachers in kindergartens and child development centers, Surat Thani Province

Abstract

Background: Hand-Foot-Mouth disease is common in infants and young children under five years of age and is mostly found in crowded places such as kindergartens, nurseries, or childcare centers. Hand-foot-mouth disease is caused by an intestinal virus that infects through the oral route from contact with saliva, mucus, blisters, and the patient's wounds. It is also transmitted through the respiratory tract from coughing and sneezing. When the abnormal symptoms are detected, patients should see doctors promptly. Teachers, child caregivers, parents, and those involved with children need to know and understand Hand-foot-mouth disease to take effective action for the prevention and control of Hand-foot-mouth disease in children.
Methods: This study is descriptive research. The objective of this study is to determine the factors related prevention behaviors of Hand-foot-mouth disease including personal factors, knowledge, perception, attitude, perception of benefits in disease prevention behavior of the disease among teachers in kindergartens and child development centers in Surat Thani Province. Data collections were conducted by interviewing the teachers, 172 persons with a standard questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including Chi–square test and multiple logistic regression.
Results: Teachers in kindergartens and early childhood development centers in Surat Thani province have a high level of knowledge about hand-foot-mouth disease at 62.79 percent. The level of behavior to prevent and control hand-foot-mouth disease is high. The highest average value is behavior in hand-foot-mouth disease prevention with a mean value of 4.17, followed by hand-foot-mouth disease risk perception with a mean value of 4.11, hand-foot-mouth disease prevention attitude with a mean value of 4.08 and perception of benefits in hand-foot-mouth disease prevention with a mean value of 4.06 respectively. And the factors that are statistically significant related to the prevention behaviors of hand-foot-mouth disease among teachers and caregivers are education, position, knowledge about hand-foot-mouth disease, perception of risk of hand-foot-mouth disease, attitude to prevent hand-foot-mouth disease and perception of benefits in hand-foot-mouth disease prevention (Sig ≤ 0.05).
Recommendations: This research provides guidelines for the development and promotion of hand-foot-mouth disease preventive and controlled behaviors in kindergartens and early childhood development centers in Surat Thani province. Moreover, the research results can be implemented with health services at the community level to create preventive and controlled behavior of Hand-foot-mouth disease appropriate to the area.