The Management of Infectious Waste Behavior, Health Literacy and Quality of Life Among People in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand
Keywords:
Infectious waste, Infectious waste management, Quality of lifeAbstract
Introduction
The management of infectious waste has become increasingly important, especially during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, to mitigate the risks of pathogen spread and the adverse impacts on public health and the environment
Methods
This study explored waste management and behavior, the health status, health literacy, and quality of life among 381 residents in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, using a cross-sectional design with multistage random sampling. Data were collected through self-administered structured questionnaires and analyzed using multiple logistic regression to identify factors associated with quality of life
Results
Results showed that the majority of participants were female (74.28%) with an average age of 38.59 years (S.D. = 14.07). While 66.93% had a high knowledge of infectious waste management, only 49.61% demonstrated moderate waste management behavior, and 46.69% possessed interactive health literacy. Alarmingly, 62.20% of communities lacked designated areas for infectious waste disposal, and just 24.41% of participants reported a good quality of life. The factor significantly associated with good quality of life is health literacy with interactive level and critical level (AOR=2.87; 95% CI:1.53 – 7.66; p-value = 0.014, AOR=2.93; 95% CI:1.92 – 10.03; p-value = 0.018) when controlling for other covariates.
Conclusions
These study findings indicate that health literacy is significantly associated with a good quality of life, emphasizing the importance of empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed health decisions. This can be achieved through public education, community engagement, and the enforcement of waste disposal policies. These actions aim to mitigate health risks and enhance the overall quality of life, thereby contributing significantly to sustainable public health and environmental safety.
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