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Nareerut Pudpong,1 Sataporn Julchoo,1 Pigunkaew Sinam,1 Sonvanee Uansri,1 Watinee Kunpeuk,1 Rapeepong Suphanchaimat1,2 1International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand; 2Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Nonthaburi, ThailandCorrespondence: Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand, Tel +66815446966, Email rapeepong@ihpp.thaigov.netBackground: During the COVID-19 pandemic, primary school children are particularly vulnerable as restriction measures have caused a huge impact on their health and well-being. This study aims to assess the prevalence of mental health among primary school children in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify factors associated with psychosocial problems.Methods: A survey was conducted among 701 Thai parents of primary school children from January to March 2022 – when teaching modalities between onsite and online learning were alternated. Parents were requested to assess the mental health of their youngest child at primary school age level. Psychosocial problems were measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with a total score of 40, based on 4 domains (emotion, behavior, hyperactivity, and relationship). Independent variables included (1) parental/household factors, (2) children characteristics, and (3) online learning-related issues. The dependent variable was the prevalence of children with a total score of 14– 40, which indicates at risk and/or having mental health problems. The analysis was performed using logistic regression model.Results: Thai parents reported that 41.1% of children had psychosocial problems. Children in a single-parent family (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1– 2.8), male children (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.2– 2.4), and children who did not receive adequate assistance for online learning from their parents (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1– 4.0) significantly faced greater odds of mental health problems.Conclusion: The prevalence of Thai primary school children confronting psychosocial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic increased, with significant concern. Public health interventions that aim to protect the mental health of primary school children during the pandemic should be introduced and targeted male children and those living with a single parent. Social support that facilitates online learning for children whose parents have limited capacity in supporting them should be implemented.Keywords: mental, health, primary school, children, COVID-19, Thailand

Mathudara Phaiyarom,1 Hathairat Kosiyaporn,1 Nareerut Pudpong,1,2 Pigunkaew Sinam,1 Rapeepong Suphanchaimat,1,3 Sataporn Julchoo,1 Watinee Kunpeuk1 1International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, 11000, Thailand; 2Sirindron College of Public Health, Chonburi, Thailand; 3Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, 11000, ThailandCorrespondence: Mathudara PhaiyaromInternational Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, 11000, ThailandTel +66 2 590 2382Fax +66 2 590 2385Email mathudara@ihpp.thaigov.netBackground: The health of urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) in Thailand has been under-researched compared with other groups of non-Thai populations, especially in the area of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD). The objectives of this study were to i) examine NCD prevalence; ii) access to NCD services; and iii) factors associated with access to NCD services among urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) in comparison with the Thai population.Methods: A cross-sectional study, using a self-administrative questionnaire adapted from the Thai Health and Welfare Survey (HWS), was conducted in 2019. URAS were randomly selected from the register of the Bangkok Refugee Center. One hundred and eighty-one URAS participated in the survey. The data were combined with 2941 Thai records from the HWS. The population scope was confined to Bangkok. Bivariate analysis by Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Mann–Whitney U-tests was conducted to examine difference in demographic and access to NCD services between URAS and Thais. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with access to NCD services.Results: Overall, URAS were young, less educated, and poorer than Thais. The trend of NCDs was similar to the Thai population, except mental health disorders appeared to be more prevalent in URAS. Almost half of the URAS did not receive any formal treatment. Being insured, abiding with Buddhism, and living in more affluent households were factors associated with better access to NCD services. URAS from Asian countries had greater access to NCD care than those from non-Asian countries.Conclusion: Policymakers should consider expanding the insurance coverage to URAS, similar to coverage for Thai populations. Additional studies on refugees’ health status and service utilization in other settings outside Bangkok are strongly recommended.Keywords: urban refugee, asylum seeker, NCD, healthcare, Thailand

Rapeepong Suphanchaimat,1,2 Watinee Kunpeuk,1 Mathudara Phaiyarom,1 Sirinard Nipaporn3 1International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand; 2Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand; 3National Health Security Office, Bangkok 10210, ThailandCorrespondence: Rapeepong Suphanchaimat Tel +66-2-590-2366Fax +66-2-590-2385Email rapeepong@ihpp.thaigov.netIntroduction: Although Thailand achieved Universal Health Coverage since 2002, there remained gaps in the insurance coverage as undocumented migrants were ineligible to be enrolled in the national public insurance. In 2004 the Thai Ministry of Public Health implemented the Health Insurance Card Scheme (HICS) to cover undocumented migrants. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the HICS on out-of-pocket payments (OOP) made by migrant patients at point of care.Methods: The study applied quantitative methods, using individual patient records from one provincial hospital, one district hospital and two health centers between 2011 and 2015. Ranong province was chosen as a study site as it had the largest proportion of migrants to Thai residents compared with other provinces. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. In descriptive statistics, mean and median were used. In inferential statistics, the two-part model (TPM) was applied to examine the relationship between the HICS and OOP for both outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) care.Results: The HICS reduced IP and OP OOP expenditures by 2471 Baht (US$ 75) and 293 Baht (US$ 9) respectively. The attributes contributed to the reduction of IP and OP OOP included insurance status, residential address close to the facilities, and a history of visiting health facilities after 2013 (the year that the HICS expanded its benefit package). In contrast, severe illness, and advanced age were expected to increase IP and OP OOP.Conclusion: The HICS appeared to reduce the financial burden from accessing care among its beneficiaries. Future studies to explore supply-side financing and equity aspects of the impact of HICS on OOP are recommended.Keywords: migrants, out-of-pocket expenditure, two-part model, health insurance

The COVID-19 pandemic containment measures such as school closures remarkably disrupt the educational system, from in-person learning to remote or distance education with different interventions. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of interventions in remote or distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the outcomes of each intervention. A systematic review was conducted between October 2021 and May 2022 using four databases. Finally, 22 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included for data analysis. Most of the interventions were synchronous student-centered approaches followed by asynchronous student-centered approaches and mixed-learning through online channels such as desktop- and web-based modality. Remote or distance education is effective in academic development in any learning approach while having mixed effects in student attitudes and perceptions. Academic-related behaviors were most engaged by students in synchronous student-centered approaches. Finally, difficulties or burdens, and mental health or social interaction were similar for all learning approaches in technological problems and support systems from families and teachers. Synchronous student-centered approaches should be the main method of education, but other approaches can be used to complement based on the students' needs. Finally, educational infrastructure and support from teachers and parents are also necessary in remote or distance education. Further studies are needed to focus on primary school students, especially in low-income regions, and apply a randomized study design., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Kosiyaporn et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has threatened health and well-being in all populations. This impact is also deepening structural inequalities for migrant workers in Thailand. Due to their vulnerability and limited opportunity to access health services, they have greater risks in many health aspects compared to other populations. This qualitative study sought to examine the key health concerns and barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare access among migrant workers in Thailand through the lens of policymakers, healthcare professionals, experts on migrant health, and migrant workers. We conducted 17 semi-structured in-depth interviews of stakeholders from health and non-health sectors in Thailand from July to October 2021. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using both deductive and inductive thematic approaches. Thematic coding was applied. The results showed that financial constraints were a major barrier for healthcare access among migrant workers. These included affordability of healthcare and difficulty accessing funds (migrant health insurance). Structural barriers included some health facilities opening for emergency cases only. Insufficient healthcare resources were profound during the peak of positive cases. Cognitive barriers included negative attitudes and diverse understanding of healthcare rights. Language and communication barriers, and a lack of information also played an important role. Conclusion, our study highlights healthcare access barriers to migrant workers in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations for future resolution of these barriers were also proposed.

One significant concern during the COVID-19 pandemic is parents' mental health, which may consequently affect children's health and well-being. The objective of this study is to investigate generalized anxiety and depression in parents of primary-school-aged children and identify risk factors for mental health problems. A cross-sectional survey comprising 701 parents of primary school children in five of Thailand's major provinces was carried out from January to March 2022. Generalized anxiety and depression levels were assessed using the GAD-7 and PHQ-9. Logistic regression was performed to determine the effects of independent variables on anxiety and depression. Results showed that the prevalence of generalized anxiety and depression was 42.7% and 28.5%, respectively, among Thai parents. Three strong associative factors included: (1) having a youngest child with mental health problems; (2) not assisting their children every day; and (3) drinking alcohol. These findings show that the parents must deal with several difficulties when trying to maintain work and parenting duties while being confined at home during emergency situations. The government should provide sufficient assistance to parents who lack skills in handling children with emotional and behavioral problems. Meanwhile, health promotion to reduce alcohol consumption should continue to be an area of focus.

Despite evidence suggesting that the COVID pandemic has negatively affected the mental health and well-being of school aged children and parents, there are limited studies describing the state of family well-being. This study aimed to use the family health lens to assess the well-being of Thai families with primary school children and to identify its associated factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted during January and March 2022, a period of school closure when onsite education was replaced by online education from time to time. The family health scale (FHS) questionnaire survey was carried out among 701 parents of Thai families with primary school children. The questionnaire comprised 10 questions regarding family belief, health, relationships, financial security, and housing environment. Independent variables included: (1) parental/household factors; (2) online learning related issues; (3) children's mental health; and (4) parents' health behaviors. Multinomial logistic regression was undertaken. Results showed that half of Thai families (54.6%) reported having moderate health status. Factors that were associated with lower levels of family health, such as poor or moderate levels, included families with a child that had mental health problems (adjusted odd ratio (AOR) = 5.0 [95% CI = 2.6-9.5] for poor v. excellent, and AOR = 2.7 [95% CI = 1.9-4.0] for moderate v. excellent), single parents (AOR = 2.5 [95% CI = 1.2-5.2] for poor v. excellent), a higher number (≥3) of children (AOR = 2.1 [95% CI = 1.0-4.0] for moderate v. excellent), and smoking parents (AOR = 6.5 [95% CI =1.2-34.8] for poor v. excellent). During health emergencies, health policy for providing adequate assistance to single parents, especially those that have a child with mental health problems, is of utmost importance. The design of health promotion activities and interventions should be targeted not only at single families, but also families with higher numbers of children and parents who smoke at home.

Thailand is a popular host nation for international migrant workers, particularly those from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. Thailand has introduced approaches to protect their rights for health and social welfare, using various mechanisms over many years. However, the implementation of these policies is dynamic and has been influenced by national security, economic necessity, and public health concerns. The aim of this study was to explore how Thailand designs and implements health and social welfare policies for migrants in Thailand, both before and during COVID-19. A qualitative analysis was used alongside interviews with 18 key informants in various sectors in this field. Thematic coding was applied. Results show that there were seven key themes emerging from the analysis, including: (i) sustainability of the HICS; (ii) people dropping out from the Social Security Scheme (SSS); (iii) quality of health screening in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) migrants; (iv) health screening problems and state quarantine management in response to COVID-19; (v) managing the migration quota and dependency on migrant workers; (vi) influx of migrants in the backdrop of COVID-19; and (vii) poor living conditions of migrants and the impact of COVID-19. The majority of interviewees agreed that undocumented migrants is a critical concern that impedes access to migrants' health and social welfare. This situation was especially pronounced during the second wave of COVID-19 in Thailand, which took hold in migrant communities. In the short term, the poor living conditions of migrants urgently need to be addressed in order to contain and mitigate this crisis. In the long term, there needs to be an improved health system design that includes migrants, regardless of their immigration status. This requires intersectoral policy coherence, including the hastening of nationality verification to sustainably mitigate undocumented migrants.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling for children worldwide. Most vulnerable are non-citizen children without access to public education. This study aims to explore challenges faced in achieving education access for children of refugee and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, stateless and undocumented persons in Malaysia during the pandemic. In-depth interviews of 33 stakeholders were conducted from June 2020 to March 2021. Data were thematically analysed. Our findings suggest that lockdowns disproportionately impacted non-citizen households as employment, food and housing insecurity were compounded by xenophobia, exacerbating pre-existing inequities. School closures disrupted school meals and deprived children of social interaction needed for mental wellbeing. Many non-citizen children were unable to participate in online learning due to the scarcity of digital devices, and poor internet connectivity, parental support, and home learning environments. Teachers were forced to adapt to online learning and adopt alternative arrangements to ensure continuity of learning and prevent school dropouts. The lack of government oversight over learning centres meant that measures taken were not uniform. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for the design of more inclusive national educational policies, by recognising and supporting informal learning centres, to ensure that no child is left behind., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The health of urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) in Bangkok has been neglected and health policies for USAR have not materialized. This study aimed to explore the views of stakeholders on policies to protect URAS well-being in Thailand. This study conducted a mixed-methods approach comprising both in-depth interviews and Delphi survey. The interview findings revealed six main themes: (1) the government position on URAS; (2) opinions on Thailand becoming a party of the 1951 Refugee Convention; (3) NGOs on health promotion for URAS; (4) options on health insurance management for URAS; (5) working potential of URAS; and (6) uncertainty of future life plans for URAS. The Delphi survey showed that URAS should have the right to acquire a work permit and be enrolled in the public insurance scheme managed by the Ministry of Public Health. Moreover, the ideology of national security was more influential than the concept of human rights. The ambiguity of the central authorities' policy direction to take care of URAS creates haphazard legal interpretations. The Delphi survey findings suggested the need for a more inclusive policy for URAS, however actual policy implementation requires further research on policy feasibility and acceptance by the wider public.

Academic evidence on the health of urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) in Thailand is extremely sparse, especially for neglected problems such as mental health disorders. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression and factors associated with these problems among URAS in Bangkok. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019. The URAS were randomly selected from the roster of the Bangkok Refugee Centre (BRC). A self-administered questionnaire was used and 180 samples were recruited. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used for the analysis. We found a prevalence of 70.0% for anxiety and 39.5% for depression. Compared to Southeast Asia and China, URAS from other regions were 3.4 times (95% CI 1.5-7.5, p < 0.05) and 4.0 times (95% CI 1.1-14.0, p < 0.05) more likely to experience anxiety and depression, respectively. URAS with chronic co-morbidities (OR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.2-9.4, p < 0.05) and being divorced or widowed (OR = 11.1, 95% CI 2.1-57.2, p < 0.05) faced greater odds of depression than those without co-morbidities and being single. Related health authorities should play a proactive role in providing mental healthcare services for URAS, with greater consideration for those of certain nationalities and with chronic diseases.

Adequate child nutrition is critical to child development, yet child malnutrition is prevalent in crisis settings. However, the intersection of malnutrition and disasters is sparse. This study reviews existing evidence on nutrition responses and outcomes for infants and young children during times of crisis. The scoping review was conducted via two approaches: a systematic search and a purposive search. For the systematic search, two key online databases, PubMed and Science Direct, were utilized. In total, data from 32 studies were extracted and included in the data extraction form. Additionally, seven guidelines and policy documents were included, based on relevance to this study. Overall, the existing evidence demonstrates the negative impacts of crises on nutritional status, diet intake, anthropometric failure, and long-term child development. On the other hand, crisis-related interventions positively affected nutrition-related knowledge and practices. Further studies should be carried out to explore the sustainability of the interventions and the success of existing guidelines. Since this study focuses only on nutrition among children under three, further studies should likewise consider an extended age range from three to five years.

The health of urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) in Thailand has been under-researched compared with other groups of non-Thai populations, especially on the topic of unmet need. The aim of this study is to examine the level of unmet need among URAS in Thailand, focusing on out-patient (OP) and in-patient (IP) care. A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and December 2019. Stratified random sampling was undertaken and a total of 181 participants were included. A bivariate analysis was used to explore the level of unmet need among different URAS groups. Multivariate logistic regression was undertaken to examine the association between potential correlations and unmet need of IP and OP care. The majority of participants were female and aged below 30 years, with a low educational background and poor economic status. Most of them had experienced an illness in the past month before the interview, and some suffered from chronic diseases. The prevalence of both OP and IP unmet needs was more frequent among URAS from Arab countries. Furthermore, being from Arab countries indicated a strong link with OP and IP unmet need. Additionally, having illness over the past six months and chronic diseases were found to be significant determinants of IP unmet need. Our analysis showed that nationality had a strong association with both IP and OP unmet need, especially among those from Arab countries. Therefore, culturally appropriate health services should be considered to promote healthcare access among diverse groups of URAS. Further qualitative studies on barriers to accessing OP and IP care, such as communication, interpretation, and social dimensions, are required.

Background: In addition to healthcare entitlements, 'migrant-friendly health services' in Thailand include interpretation and cultural mediation services which aim to reduce language and cultural barriers between health personnel and migrants. Although the Thai Government started implementing these services in 2003, challenges in providing them still remain. This study aims to analyse the health system functions which support the interpretation and cultural mediation services of migrant health worker (MHW) and migrant health volunteer (MHV) programmes in Thailand., Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted in two migrant-populated provinces using purposive and snowball sampling. A total of fifty key informants were recruited, including MHWs, MHWs, health professionals, non-governmental organisation (NGO) staff and policy stakeholders. Data were triangulated using information from policy documents. The deductive thematic analysis was classified into three main themes of evolving structure of MHW and MHV programmes, roles and responsibilities of MHWs and MHVs, and supporting systems., Results: The introduction of the MHW and MHV programmes was one of the most prominent steps taken to improve the migrant-friendliness of Thai health services. MHWs mainly served as interpreters in public facilities, while MHVs served as cultural mediators in migrant communities. Operational challenges in providing services included insufficient budgets for employment and training, diverse training curricula, and lack of legal provisions to sustain the MHW and MHV programmes., Conclusion: Interpretation and cultural mediation services are hugely beneficial in addressing the health needs of migrants. To ensure the sustainability of current service provision, clear policy regulation and standardised training courses should be in place, alongside adequate and sustainable financial support from central government, NGOs, employers and migrant workers themselves. Moreover, regular monitoring and evaluation of the quality of services are recommended. Finally, a lead agency should be mandated to collaborate with stakeholders in planning the overall structure and resource allocation for the programmes.

Background: Although the Thai government has introduced policies to promote the health of migrants, it is still the case that urban refugees and asylum seekers (URAS) seem to be neglected. This study aimed to explore the degree of healthcare access through the perspective of unmet need in URAS, relative to the Thai population., Methods: A cross-sectional survey, using a self-reporting questionnaire adapted from the Thai Health and Welfare Survey (HWS), was performed in late 2019, with 181 URAS completing the survey. The respondents were were randomly selected from the roster of the Bangkok Refugee Center. The data of the URAS survey were combined with data of the Thai population (n = 2941) from the HWS. Unmet need for health services was defined as the status of needing healthcare in the past 12 months but failing to receive it. Bivariate analysis was conducted to explore the demographic and unmet need difference between URAS and Thais. Multivariable logistic regression and mixed-effects (ME) model were performed to determine factors associated with unmet need., Results: Overall, URAS were young, less educated and living in more economically deprived households, compared with Thais. About 98% of URAS were uninsured by any of the existing health insurance schemes. The prevalence of unmet need among URAS was significantly higher than among Thais in both outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) services (54.1% versus 2.1 and 28.0% versus 2.1%, respectively). Being uninsured showed the strongest association with unmet need, especially for OP care. The association between insurance status and unmet need was more pronounced in the ME model, relative to multivariable logistic regression. URAS migrating from Arab nations suffered from unmet need to a greater extent, compared with those originating from non-Arab nations., Conclusion: The prevalence of unmet need in URAS was drastically high, relative to the prevalence in Thais. Factors correlated with unmet need included advanced age, lower educational achievement, and, most evidently, being uninsured. Policy makers should consider a policy option to enrol URAS in the nationwide public insurance scheme to create health security for Thai society.

Thailand has become a popular destination for international migrant workers, particularly from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. However, only a fraction of these migrant workers were insured by public health insurance. The objective of this study was to apply systems thinking to explore contextual factors affecting access to public health insurance among cross-border migrants in Thailand. A group model building approach was applied. Participants ( n = 20) were encouraged to share ideas about underlying drivers and barriers of migrants' access to health insurance. The causal loop diagram and stock and flow diagram were synthesised to identify the dynamics of access to migrant health insurance. Results showed that nationality verification is an important mechanism to deal with the precarious citizenship status of undocumented migrants. However, some migrants are still left uninsured. The likely explanations are the semi-voluntary nature of the Health Insurance Card Scheme, administrative delay of the enrollment process, and resistance of some employers to hiring migrants. As a result, findings suggest that effective communication is required to raise acceptance towards insurance among migrants and their employers. A participatory public policy process is needed to create a good balance of migrant policies among diverse authorities.

In 2002, Thailand achieved Universal Health Coverage for all citizens; however, it remains the case that undocumented migrants are not fully covered. The Health Insurance Card Scheme (HICS) of the Ministry of Public Health is the key policy aiming to cover undocumented migrants. This study examined the impact of this policy on the utilisation rate of public health facilities among HICS beneficiaries including undocumented migrants. Facility-based individual records between 2011 and 2015 were purposively retrieved from one provincial hospital, one district hospital, and two health centres in one of the most densely migrant-populated provinces in Thailand. Poisson regression was conducted on inpatient (IP) utilisation, while negative binomial regression was conducted on outpatient (OP) utilisation. Of 74,722 admissions, 19.0% were insured by HICS. About 14.0% of the outpatient records were for HICS beneficiaries. Overall, the HICS utilisation rate in migrants was lower than in Thai patients. Being insured with the HICS significantly increased OP utilisation by 1.7%, and IP utilisation by 11.1% (relative to uninsured). Disease status was the most important factor that positively influenced the utilisation rate. Further studies that explore the differences in health service utilisation among HICS beneficiaries with diverse economic backgrounds are recommended.

Community gardening has been widely recognized as a multicomponent approach that has affected a broad range of health and well-being outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between community gardening and nutrition and physical health among adults. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Five electronic databases were searched systematically. Quality of included studies was appraised by several quality assessment tools related to the study design of each included article. Evidence from 19 articles was included (14 cross-sectional studies, 4 quasi-experimental studies and 1 case-control study). Although the majority of included studies appeared to have moderate quality, there existed weaknesses in the methods used, including low response rate and lack of confounder controls. Due to diversity in the measurement units, only body mass index (BMI) data could be pooled to perform meta-analysis. The results suggest that gardening had a significantly positive effect on BMI reduction. Subgroup analysis showed that quasi-experimental and case-control studies produced greater pooled effect size than those of cross-sectional design. Funnel plot and Egger's test showed no significant evidence of publication bias. As robust evidence for the effect of community gardening on BMI reduction was found, this intervention should be integrated in health promoting policy to improve population health., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Migrant health workers (MHWs) and migrant health volunteers (MHVs) are key health workforce actors who play a substantial role in improving the health of migrants in Thailand. The objective of this study was to explore the factors associated with health literacy in MHWs and MHVs in Thailand. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted from December 2018 to April 2019 in two migrant-populated provinces. A total of 40 MHWs, 78 MHVs, and 116 general migrants were included in the survey. Results showed that a higher education level was associated with a greater health literacy score. MHWs were more likely to have a higher health literacy score (5.59 points difference) than general migrants. The province per se and type of affiliations did not significantly contribute to the difference in the health literacy score of each individual. Most MHWs received health information from health professionals, health staff, and the internet, while MHVs and general migrants received information from health professionals, MHWs/MHVs, family/friends, and posters/leaflets. This study suggests that a higher education level should be used as a criterion for recruitment of MHWs and MHVs. Access to interactive health information like health professionals should be promoted as the main source of information to ensure better health literacy among MHWs and MHVs.

Background: Currently, various tools exist to evaluate knowledge and awareness of antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and are applied by various organizations. Previous systematic reviews have focused mainly on study findings such as levels of knowledge and AMR awareness. However, the survey procedures and data instruments used ought to be scrutinized as well, since they are important contributors to credible results. This review aims to assess the study methods and procedures of existing population-based surveys and explore key components which determine the general population's levels of knowledge and awareness of antibiotic use and AMR., Methods: We searched existing literature for population -based surveys which sought knowledge and awareness of antibiotic use or AMR in the general population. Databases searched included Ovid, MEDLINE and EMBASE, PsycINFO and Scopus, domestic journals and gray literature sources. Population-based cross-sectional studies published in English or Thai from January 2000 to December 2018 were included in the review. Quality assessment was conducted using the 'Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies' (AXIS)., Results: All 22 studies included in the analysis had clear objectives focusing on assessing people's levels of knowledge, awareness, attitudes and behavior relating to antibiotic use and awareness of AMR. These studies had employed appropriate methodologies for population-based cross-sectional surveys relative to research questions. More than half of studies (14 out of 22) had scientifically soundly designed methodologies which captured the representativeness of the population; whereas the remaining studies had unclear sample size estimations, inappropriate sample frames and selection biases. Half of the studies had tested the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The common questions used by these surveys were categorized into four themes: behavior related to antibiotic use, knowledge and awareness of antibiotic use, knowledge and awareness of AMR and others such as receiving information about antibiotic use and AMR or cross-cutting issues like self-medication., Conclusion: This review identified four key features of good practices in antibiotic use and awareness surveys: a) clear survey objective; b) scientifically sound sampling techniques ensuring representativeness; c) strategies for recruitment of samples and survey administration methods; and d) credible measurement to prevent non-sampling biases. During questionnaire design, the health systems context in terms of access to health services and antibiotics should be taken into account. In conclusion, to maximize the use of surveys, the application of findings in surveys and associated factors related to antibiotic use and AMR should primarily generate public health interventions and target specific groups to make progress in solving AMR problems., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.