Geounuppakul Malee, Butraporn Piyarat, Kunstadter Peter, Leemingsawat Somjai, Pacheun Oranut
Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2007 May;38(3):546-59.
Paulo Freire's theory was modified to empower a women's group in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, to prevent and control malaria. This study conducted an intervention in Mueang Na Wan Village, Mueang Na Sub-district, Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province, where 45 women were systematically recruited into the study cohort. Navail Village was selected as a control village because it resembled the intervention village. The empowerment program emphasized enhancement of malaria preventive levels, using insecticide-treated bed nets, self-esteem, and self confidence expectation to prevent and control malaria. Intensive training was conducted and activities performed among the women's group, with 10 participatory meetings in all. Data collection was conducted for the pre-test in month 1, and post-intervention in months 3, 6, 9, and 12. The qualitative methods used were focus-group discussions, non-participant observations, and in-depth interviews with housewives, their husbands, and youths at risk for malaria. The results showed that, post-intervention, there were significantly increased levels for malaria preventive behaviors, behaviors of using insecticide-treated nets, self-esteem, and self confidence expectations, in the intervention village compared with the control village. Insecticide-treated net usage and insecticide-treated net usage behaviors increased in the intervention village more than before and more than that in the control village. The women's group in the intervention village created the following plans, which were crucial to malaria prevention: (1) a family protection plan, (2) providing malaria education to community members, (3) a mosquito-control campaign, (4) scaling-up insecticide-impregnated bed nets, and (5) malaria control among foreign laborers. Finally, the empowered women's group performed sustainable activities. Between malaria-prevention activities, they conducted a joint program to raise income for their families.
保罗·弗莱雷的理论被加以调整，以增强泰国清迈府一个妇女团体预防和控制疟疾的能力。本研究在清迈府清道县孟纳分区的孟纳湾村进行了一项干预措施，45名妇女被系统地纳入研究队列。纳维尔村被选为对照村，因为它与干预村相似。赋权计划强调提高疟疾预防水平，使用经杀虫剂处理的蚊帐、自尊和预防及控制疟疾的自信期望。对妇女团体进行了强化培训并开展了相关活动，共举行了10次参与式会议。在第1个月进行了预测试数据收集，并在第3、6、9和12个月进行了干预后数据收集。所采用的定性方法包括焦点小组讨论、非参与观察以及对家庭主妇、她们的丈夫和有疟疾风险的年轻人进行深入访谈。结果显示，干预后，与对照村相比，干预村的疟疾预防行为、使用经杀虫剂处理蚊帐的行为、自尊和自信期望水平显著提高。干预村经杀虫剂处理蚊帐的使用量和使用行为比以前增加得更多，且比对照村增加得更多。干预村的妇女团体制定了以下对预防疟疾至关重要的计划：（1）家庭保护计划；（2）向社区成员提供疟疾教育；（3）蚊虫控制运动；（4）扩大经杀虫剂处理蚊帐的规模；（5）对外来劳工进行疟疾控制。最后，获得赋权的妇女团体开展了可持续活动。在疟疾预防活动之间，她们开展了一个联合项目为家庭增加收入。
