Development of a Self-learning Kit for Community Public Health Volunteers: Strategies for Promoting Family Health through Consumption and Utility Water Quality Assessment (Community Health Surveillance Innovation) in Saluang Community, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

This research aimed to develop a self-learning kit for community health volunteers and to promote family health through the monitoring of domestic water quality in Saluang Community, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province, using a mixed-methods approach. The sample consisted of 40 community health volunteers and 120 households in the community, selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included the self-learning kit, a knowledge questionnaire, a behavioral assessment form, and a user satisfaction questionnaire. All instruments were validated, with content validity indices ranging from 0.72 to 0.85 and a reliability coefficient of 0.82. The results showed that the self-learning kit significantly enhanced the capacity of health volunteers in water quality analysis. The volunteers were able to accurately and precisely assess water quality. The quality of domestic water in the community was markedly improved, with the proportion of substandard water decreasing from 65.4% to 8.3% after the implementation of the self-learning kit. Moreover, the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in the community decreased by 78.3%. The innovation received an excellent performance rating, with an average score of 4.85 out of 5, and can potentially be extended to neighboring communities. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of applying this innovation to strengthen the capacity of community health volunteers and sustainably promote community health.