Environmental Health Literacy and Its Effects on Preventive Behaviors Against Particulate Matter Not Exceeding 2.5 Microns (PM2.5) Among the Population in Nong Bua Lam Phu Municipality, Mueang District, Nong Bua Lam Phu Province
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Abstract
PM2.5 particulate matter is an air quality problem in Thailand, particularly in areas where agricultural residues are openly burned, causing PM2.5 concentration levels to exceed national standards and resulting in both short-term and long-term health impacts. This cross-sectional correlational study aimed to examine 1) environmental health literacy, 2) PM2.5 preventive behavior, 3) the relationship between environmental health literacy and PM2.5 preventive behavior, and 4) the aspects of environmental health literacy that influence PM2.5 preventive behavior among the population in Nong Bua Lam Phu Municipality. A sample of 378 participants was selected using stratified and systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire whose content validity was verified by three experts (IOC = 0.67–1.00), with an overall reliability coefficient of 0.877 (0.878 for the environmental health literacy questionnaire and 0.874 for the PM2.5 preventive behavior questionnaire). Statistical methods used for data analysis included percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis.
The findings revealed that the overall level of environmental health literacy was at the highest level (Mean = 4.52, S.D. = 0.39), and the overall level of PM2.5 preventive behavior was likewise at the highest level (Mean = 4.57, S.D. = 0.36). Environmental health literacy showed a statistically significant high positive correlation with PM2.5 preventive behavior at the .01 level (r = .737, p-value < .001). Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that health-protective decision-making (X4) was the only statistically significant predictor (β = .847, p-value < .001), capable of predicting PM2.5 preventive behavior by 71.80% (R² = .718), with the predictive equation: PM2.5 preventive behavior = 1.079 + .782 (health-protective decision-making). The findings suggest that health-protective decision-making is a key component of environmental health literacy that influences PM2.5 preventive behavior. Therefore, relevant agencies should promote environmental health literacy, particularly health-protective decision-making, at the community level.
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