Elderly’s Health Survey in Nam Phon : A Case Study

An  objective  of  a  descriptive  study  was  to  investigate  health  status  of  elderly  who  resided  in  Nam  Phong,  rural  area.  Study  population  were  all  of  elderly  aged  60  and  over   who  living  in 3  Villages,  Nam  Phong  district,  Khon  Kaen  Province.  Research  instruments  for  data  collection  were  weighing  of  body  weight  and  height  measurement  in order  to  obtain  body  mass  index  (BMI),  stool  examination  for  detecting  parasites  ova,  included  interviewing  with  questionnaire.  A total  subject  was  90 elderly. Result  of  this  study  revealed  that  49.4%  had  BMI  lower  than  normal  which  found  higher  in  males  than  females.  Based  on  BMI  criteria,  there  were chronic  energy  deficiency  23.5%,  obesity  12.3%.  Stool  examination  showed  30.5%  of  elderly  found  parasites.  One  third  (33.3%)  of  elderly  reported  use  of  analgesic  drugs  and  cocktail  drug  (a  set  of  variety  drug  called  “Ya-Chud”).  Approximately  half  of  this  figure  were  drug  abuse.  The  elderly  were  still  at  risk  to  chemical  use  in  agricultural  activities  and  19%  were  smoking  at  work. An  establishing  group  of  elderly  in rural  area  is  recommended  by  the  authors  in order  to  promote  recreation,  helping  and  teaching  each  other,  which  will  be  effective  not  only  physical  health  but  also  mental  health  of  elderly  as  well.

Achievement in Personality and Ethics Development 2nd year medical student, 1994 Academic year.

Objective1. To establish and develop personality in order  to promote good leadership and  remember the essential merit and that correlate to the social needs of students.2. To build up and create appropriate values in Thai society among the students themselves especially in terms of unity, affection and a sense of belonging to each other and to the Academic Institute.3. To develop the student in terms of Social, Emotional \& Moral behaviour so that they can adapt to the new society.4. Build up the sensitivity and responsibility of students to society and to the country after graduation5. To promote in Medical students and supervisors a better relationship which will lead to trust and consultationMethods: The students were asked to attend the camp and advisers encouraged to understand their role so that they had ability to extend group relations. After this the students attended a 2 day and 2 night camp with various activities. Each group had 1-2 supervisors for group relationship activities using games as a medium by which to present social situations and human behavioral analysis. There was a video show about development, community life, leadership and human relations. There were group planning conferences, project planning activities, self and family development group presentations and other activities. Assessment by collective observation and the use of questionnaires showed that the target objectives were achieved. As a result of the course students personalities were developed to produce good leaders as well as producing good team member of society. Good ethical beliefs were fostered as was the aim of  being a worthy member of society. The right values of affection, good person to person relations a pride in the institute, adaptation to the school environment and to colleagues were achieved. A feeling of responsibility to society and to the Nation together with the promotion of relationships both to students and supervisors was established. The recommendation from students and participating supervisors is that it should be extended from 2 days and 2 nights to be 3 says and 2 nights by using a weekday and weekend or only the former which means doing the course after the students finish their exam. The location should be nor too far away from University. It should have a wide-enough conference room that suits various activities, a yard or sports ground that is suitable for physical or moral exercise of the students and nearby accommodation with an adequate restroom. Food should be arranged for everyone. This could be used by 3 rd year medical students so that they could prepare themselves for the clinical year. The assessment should be carries out regularly so as to improve weak points and become Faculty’s policy in the following academic year by training the 1st or 3rs year medical student and applying the formula that has been practiced by the 2 nd year medical student for the 2 st year medical student. Furthermore, the formula arranged for clinical year students to be demonstrates in the 3 rd year to medical students before they start their 4 th year. Subsequently it should be distributes so as to be part of the University plan.

Emotional Intelligence of the year 2006 Medical Students in Khon Kaen University

Background: A student’s emotional quotient (EQ) plays as important a role as his/her intelligence quotient (IQ) when it comes to superior learning performance. Surveying the EQ among Khon Kaen medical students may help in determining how : 1) to develop EQ and 2) to improve the overall program and post-graduation live-a-day success.Objective : To assess the EQ among medical students at Khon Kaen University.Methodology : This was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study performed on 350 medical students, selected by systematic random sampling. The information gathering instrument was a questionnaire on EQ provided by the Department of Mental Health.Analysis : The data analysis of 330 questionnaires was accomplished by using descriptive and analytical statistics.Results : The average respective EQ and good , intellectual and happiness domains were 169.09±14.65, 60±7, 56.6±6.3 and 60±7. Most of the students were in the normal or higher range.  Curiously, in the happiness domain and responsibility subdomain, the percentage of students in the higher  range were the lowest of all the parameters. There was no significant association between sex, year of study in the MD program and EQ. Two-thirds of the respondents indicated that they would like to participate in an EQ improvement program should one were held.Conclusion: According to the data, the average EQ  and good, intellectual and happiness domains were higher than the normal means used to indicate the potential for success of medical students, as approved by the Department of Mental Health. It means compare to or relating to someone or something.  Vis-à-vis the word is a preposition (like above, in, on, under etc.) e.g.Our students’ marks are quite good Vis-à-vis the national averages. The lowest of  the happiness domain Vis-à-vis responsibility  subdomain should be targeted for the remediation.Keywords : Medical Students,   Emotional Quotient

Achievement in Personality and Ethics Development 1st year medical student, 1994 Academic year.

Objective1. To establish and develop personality in order to promote good leadership and member the essential merit and ethics that correlate to the social needs of students.2. To build up and create appropriate values in Thai society among the students themselves especially in terms of unity, affection and a sense of belonging to each other and to the Academic Institute.3. To develop the students in terms of Social, Emotional \& Moral behaviour so that they can adapt to the new society.4. Build up the sensitivity and responsibility of students society and to the country after graduation.Methods – Assigning the students to attend the 2 night camp,s activities.  There was an Analysis lecture of the present situation, social problems and human behaviour.  There was a video show about the Developemtn trends or the ‘new life’ Community Development.  Example of development experiences, leadership and human relations were raised.  There was a planning group meeting, arranging a project, self and family development activities,  The proposal of group and other activities from evaluation by collective observations, interviews and questionaires.  It has been found that to accomplish the target object.  The students program needed to be supplemented \& develop in order to get better personality, leadership and member, good merit \& ethics in society.  Appropriate values had to be emphasized such as unity, affection, relationships with one another, a price in the institute, adaptation to colleaques and the environment.  These values also include the feeling of responsibility for society that effect the entire country in the future. The recommendation from students and lecturers who attended this program is that it should have there activities for the 2 nd year and the 3 rd year students and there should be a chane of locations for demonstration.  The suggested place should be within a walking distance to the campus and provide proper accommodation and a conference room.  Interesting \& effective media should be used.  There main meals should be arranged and the light meal or snack could be reduced.  Public relations procedure should be advertised throughroughly and lecturers should participate in the activities, The evaluation should be done regularly so as to adjust and improve the weak points and consequently become the faculty policy Further more.  The academic program should include the merit and ethical teaching and the supplementary activities should be continuously administered until graduation.

Evaluation of the Apprenticeship Project for the 4th year Medical Students at the Community Hospitals administered by the KKU Medical school Alumni.

 In  1990  a  study  tour  for  medical  students  to  eight  community  hospitals  where  the  medical  alumni  of  Khon  Kaen  University  are  selected  the  “ Annual  Outstanding  Physicians”   This  program  had  the  following  objectives  ;  1. To  make  the  students  familiar  with  the  Work  environment,  especially  planning  and  administration  of  primary  health  care  services  and  social  medicdine.2. To  give  the  students  a  good  model  for  developing  their  work  in  the  future.3. To  provide  learning  opportunities  through  the  use  of  instructional  media  for  the  students  who  have  never  had  a  chance  to  see  the  real  life  situation.  4. To  let  the  students  learn  about  the  work  of  the  outstanding  alumni  doctors  in  the  community   hospitals   and  promote  the  reputation  of  Khon  Kane  University.  Evaluation  by   the  students  showed  that  the  directors of  the  community   hospitals  and  the  faculty  lecturers  have  provided  the  learning   experiences   successfully   and   nearly  me  the  set   objective.  The  students  experienced  the   real  situation,   especially   in  the   areas   of  hospital   administration  and  administration  of  primary   health  care  programs  and  social  medicine.  Nevertheless,  in  terms  of  the  structure  of  planning,  the  students  did  not  gain  enough  knowledge  and  experience.  The  students  did,  however,  learned  a  very  good  pattern  from  the  senior   medical  professionals  for  developing  their  future  careers.  A  video  recording  was  prepared  to  teach  ethics  to  the  second – year  medical  students  and  or  students  who   did  not  join  the  tour  group.  Also,  this  video  recording  can  be  used  to  encourage  the  alumni  of  the  faculty  of  Medicine  of  Khon  Kaen  University  to  set  good  examples  for  students  and  younger  doctors.  This  project  is  sill  stimulating   all  the  personnel  involved  in  the  community  hospitals  to  be  alert  and  active  in  their  routine  jobs,  which  will  effect  better  service  for  all  the  patients  who  are  in  need  of  medical  care.

How is the Seniority System Important to Doctors?.

Teaching  ethics  to  first  year  Medical  Students  on  the  topic  of  “How  is  the  Seniority  system  important  to  doctors,”  has  the  objectives  of  giving  the  students  the  ability  to  interact  with  doctors,  teachers  and  fellow  students  politely.  The  teaching  method  includes  introducing  the  importance  of  the  seniority  system  by  using  slides,  lectures  about  outstanding  doctors,  and  giving  examples  of  how  to  show  respect.  The  total  number  of  students  is  98,  43  men  and 55  women.  However,  only  89  students  were involved in  this  study.  Evaluation  by  questionnaire  showed  that1. Teaching  methods.  The  majority  of  students  (96.63  percent)  understood  and  could  practice  what  they  learned  by giving  the  explanation  that  the  teaching  methods  were  good ;  the  objectives  were  clearly  presented;  and there  were  demonstrations  that  made  them  understand.  The  students  realized  the  importance  of  the  seniority  system,  and  agreed  that  they  should  put  what  they  learncd  into  proctice. This  is  because  it  has  personal  benefits  and make  a  good  impression  on  those  who  contact  the  doctors.  2. Use  of  Knowledge  in  practice.  One – hundred  percent  of  the  students  said  they  would  use the  knowledge  they  gained  from  the  course  reasoning  that  it  is  good  and  it  has  many  benefits.  The  seniority  system  is  important  for  medical  occupations,  both  for  medical  education  and  medical  practice.  It  also  helps  preserve  positive  thing  about  the  culture  and  causes good  relationships  with  colleages.  3. Evaluation  of  use  of  Seniority  System  in  practice  and  in  ethical  evaluation  whether  the  students  will  qualify  for  graduaion.  Most  of  the  students (93.26 percent)  say  that  there  should   be  an  evaluation  of  the  students  by  using  the  seniority  system  as  an  indicator  of  an  M.D.  degree  completion.  This  will  make  good  doctors  equipped  with  knowledge,  and  ethics  to  use  in  their  service  to  the  society.4. Comments  and  suggestions.  The  time  given  for  this  course  was  too  short.  The  teacher  should  share  his / her  experience  more.  There  shore  should  be  more  slides  and  teaching  tools.  The  students  should  be  able to  participate  more  actively  in  a  question / answer  period  and  there   should  be  explanations  of  not – so – common  situations  in  order  to  avoid  boredom.  There  should  be  more  lecturers  and  the  course  should  continue  to  be  offered.

The uses of physical exercise and mental practice for physical healing.

 The uses of physical exercise associated with mental practice for physical healing were conducted through the mobile health service. The objective of the physical healing project were : (1) to study the behavior of villagers concerning their responsiveness to exercise and practice without drug treatment, (2) to practice the techniques which assist patients to reach tranquility, and (3) to promote and motivate patients to use physical exercise and mental practice for stress, strain and exhaustion conditions. The results revealed that the exercise and practice were accepted by the villagers. Such exercise and practice do not go against Thai culture and the faith of  Buddism. Patients who suffered from muscular, nervous, digestive and respiratory system problem found relief from such sicknesses after the exercise and practice were performed.

Health Behavior of Elderly in Khon Kaen Province

 Studies  concerning  socioeconomic  and medical  problems  of  the  elderlies  in  Khon  Kaen  Province,  Northeast  Thailand,  were  conducted  in  1989 – 1990.  The  objectives  of  these  stuidies  were  to  out  nutritional  status,  eating  habit  and  parasitic  infection.   A  tobal  of  464  elderly  persons  from  a  semi – urban  area  and  a  rural  area   of  Khon  kean  Province  were  sampled  by  the  30  cluster  sampling  technique  in  each  area,   The  method  was  composed  of  an  interview  by  structured  questionnaire,  an  in – depth  interview,  a  24 – hour  recall  interview,  stool  examination  and  anthropometry  by  height  and  weight   measurement.  The  results  revealed  theat  most  of  elderly  lived  with  their  relatives  and  or  children  and  had  been  taken  care  by  their  elotives.   Half  of  the  tobal  elderlies  were  widwed  and  primary  school  educated ;  and  22.4  per  cent  were  working ;  66.3  percent  were  smokers  and  most  of  them  were  males ;  37.1  per  cent  were  drinkers.  Seventy – six  per  cent  of  the  total  elderly  group  habitually  chewed  areca   nuts  and   betel  leaves  smeared  with  lime  ;  36.4  per  cent  consumed  improperly   cooked  food. IIIness  prevalence  of  elderly  during  the  previous  2  weeks,  was   fond  that  the  number  of  sick  elderly  in  the  semi – urban  area  was  slightly  higher  than  those  in  the  rural  area.   Curative  behavior  or  health  seeking  behavior  when  getting  ill  of the  elderly  was  found  as  following  :  42.2  percent  went  to  see  a  doctor  at  the  health  station  or  clinic  and 39  percent  had  self  medication. Nutritional  status  of  the  elderly,  using  body  mass  index  (BMI)  calculated  from  weight  and  height  revealed   that  rural  elderlies  were  lean  significantly  much  more  than those in  semiurban  aaea. (BMI

Evaluation of the 5th Year Medical students’ Observtion Project of Basic Health Care, the Role of Community Health Officers, and the Rural Development of Local Philosophers, 1991.

 The objectives of the 5th year medical students’ 1991 observations of basic health care, the activity of community Health Officers, and the rural development of local philosophers are as follows: 1.  The acknowledgement of basic health care work, including its obstacles in each province in the northeast.  2.  The acknowledgement of the District’s public health activity, including the obstacles-encountered, in order to allow a better understanding and cooperation for students in the future.  3.  The acknowledgement of rural development Problems including interesting community leader’s development methods.  4.  To be an educational medium for the other students who do not have the opportunity to observe the activities in the area. The result of evaluation of students, provincial health officer, community health officer, local philosopher and the instructors who joined this observation has shown that the objectives were achieved.  Moreover the students could see the real situation of medical practice and the new track of rural development based on Benefit Minimum Health Needs, which is used to estimate by the workers in the Community.  They also had an opportunity to observe the basic health care working system at the district level by observing a Community Health Team.  The acknowledgement of the problems and the genuine practitioners in each area where there were different problems and various solving methods were seen.  The instructors also had the opportunity to learn about the new rural development system, so that it could be an inspiration in arranging educational programmes for the students of each year. In addition, there was a linkage of knowledge among provincial health officers, community health officers, the directors of community hospitals, the staff of sub-districts health officer and local philosophers.  This will help promote close collaboration between these community institutes.

Affect of the Migration to Crowded Community

 The objective of this study is to locate the factors influencing this migration.  The main reason influencing migration was to earn a living.  In this study, the crowded community has rapidly increased or spread and so has many problems to be solved before improvement will show in this community.  (Standard of living or social improvement?)

Elderly’s Food Consumption Behaviour In A Rural Area In Northeast Thailand : Study In Non-Com District

 The study was udndrtaken to obtain informaiton about food consumption, food habit and nutritional status of the food eaten by the elderly, The subjects of the study were 82 elderly people (38 men, 44 women) in Sern-Nae village and Pha-Gua village, both in Non-com District , KhonKaen Province, Northeast Thailand. All the villagers aged sixty and over were interviewed. The nutritional status of the elderly was assessed by body mass index (BMI). Semi quantitative of food comsuption in 24 hours was studied in 30 percent of the elderly group (randomly selected). The elderly were asked about foods eaten in the previous 24 hours and also interviewed about food habits. The average age of the subjects was 71 years. They generally lived with Their  famillies and had meals with other members .Foods were cooked by daughters or daughters-inlaw. 43.9 percent of the subjects had a chronic illness. It is traditionally believed that the elderly should not eat raw food. Half of the group had chewing problems that the elderly should not eat raw food. Half of the group had chewing problems. 71 percent were found to have low nutritional status (the average body mass index of this percentage was 19.5 kg/m2 for men and 17.2 kg/m2 for women). Therefore , the elderly had a tendency to be unhealthy and malnurished. Although their food had a low fat content they got enough calories, rotein and iron. Larger amounts of vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 niacin and Vitamin C , which were rather low , should be recommended. Furthermore, to improve the healh of the elderly , the midwives would be a valuable group to use in compaigning and educating the public, Those who prepare food should be educated so that they can prepare appropriate foods for the elderly.

Study groups of mother or relatives whose level of education are higher

 It was believed that more highly educated mothers could take care of their children better than less educated mothers.  Other factors involved the growth development of children during infant and preschool years.  Two villages in Khon Kaen provinces were studied and compared.  The target groups were children below five years and their mothers.  Only mothers in a studied village were given health education.  The result showed that children in a studied village were slightly more developed and healthier than children in a controlled village.  However, when the mothers education levels were compared, data showed that mothers with lower education could look after their children better than those in a higher education group.  This happened in both villages.  It might be that lower educated mothers had more time for their children and tended to follow the local health worker’s teaching.  In contrast the mothers in the higher educated group had more chance to work outside and left children with their cousins.  There fore, this might effect children’s growth development and health.

Development of Appropriate Personality and Ethics in Medical Students.

Background:  The objective of this research was to evaluate the progressive behavior development of fourth and fifth year medical students based on their first to third year attendance at the seminars, “How to develop good personality qualities and ethics.”  The research focused on: 1. Behavioral differences between trained versus previous groups of students who had not been trained. 2. Whether and how the training actually affected student behavior. 3. Development of recommendations for future course.Method:   This was prospective cohort behavioral study.  The data were elicited from fourth and fifth year medical students using questionnaires, direct observations, and informal interviews.  They were compared with the collective subjective judgement of faculty members regarding former students who did not undergo the same training.Results:  Students who passed all of the training sessions had good relationships with teachers, colleagues patients, and family.  The tone of their conversation was positive.  Their behavior (manners and responsiveness to patients) and ethics (capacity to use appropriate medical techniques) were judged to be better than those students who had not been trained. We concluded that since the first three years of training are formative (with eagerness and newness), training in behavior and ethics at this time is well-received; allowing students to prepare themselves for the following more interactive clinical phase of medical education. Notwithstanding, the wholly subjective nature of the comparison of trained versus untrained students, all (100%) of the department heads and head nurses agreed that medical students should attend training in ethics and personal behavior development.  Similarly, 92% of the fourth and fifth year students were of the opinion that behavior and ethics training, both in class and at camp, should continue because they learned about economizing, psychology, manners, appropriate attire, public conduct, and respectfulness toward teachers, colleagues, seniors and juniorsKey words: Medical Students, Personality, Ethics

Stress and Coping in Medical Students at Clinical Level, Khon Kaen University

Background :  Studying medicine in clinical level could have more stress than any student, the study program is very intense, a lot of ward work activity and lacking of free time could make them stress  and may result in psychological or emotional impairment during professional life, therefore affect the quality of patient care. It is important that medical student have the appropriate stress coping. Our interested is to study of stress and coping in medical student at clinical level.Objectives : 1. To study the stress in Clinical Medical student in Khon Kaen University. 2.  To study way of coping stress in Clinical Medical student in Khon Kaen University.Methodology : The study was descriptive study applying both , qualitative and quantitative study.Setting : Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen UniversityPopulation and sample : All Clinical Medical students, which are 4th-6th year in academic year 2007. This study excluded those who were studying in other hospital during 15th - 28th May 2007 and those who were studying in Department of Community Medicine. All study population are 292 students.Tools and measurement : Self administered questionnaire consist of 3 parts, general information,Suanprung Stress Test, the way of coping. In qualitative method, in depth interview guideline was applied.Statistic : frequency, percentage, median, interquatile range , min, max, range, mode and 95% CI.Results : Response rate was 82.2%. The study found that 55.8% of medical students had morbid stress and mostly came from 4th year medical student . Self adaptation to study activities was the major cause of stress , followings by examination failure, strictly study schedule and learning one by one with professor. The major way of coping was tension reduction, followings by seeking social support, positive thinking and planful problem solving.Conclusions : Fifty-five point eight percent of medical students had morbid stress. Self adaptation was the major cause of stress and  tension reduction is the major way of coping.Keywords :  stress, coping, clinical medical student.

The problems of seeking continuous medical care of patients with paralysis in Nonmuang village T.sila A.muang Khon Kaen

Background :        The number of patients with paralysis is increasing. When these patients are discharged from the hospital, they have problems  seeking continuous medical care to prevent complications. Therefore, studying  the problems in seeking continuous medical care can establish the way to solve them.Objective :  To study 1.  the problems in seeking continuous medical care of the patients with paralysis in Nonmuang village. 2.  The role of Srinagarind hospital and Nonmuang primary care unit in continuous  medical care.Research  design :  Descriptive study and informations are gathered by interview process.Population  : 11 patients living in Nonmuang village during 28June-12July 2004, 2 officers of Srinakarin hospital and 2 officers of Nonmuang Prinary Care Unit.Results :   Of the 11 patients, 5 are men and 6 are women. 9 patients have hemiplegia caused by stroke and 2 had spinal cord diseases. 6 patients get better, 2 are stable and 3 are worsened. 3 patients believe that they can be cured or get better, 3 believe they will remain stable and 4 believe they will get worse, 1 has no opinion. For relationship with neighbors, 9 have worsened relationship and 2 have good relationship. 6 patients have dramatic impact on there economic status, 5 have lesser impact. A caretaker is absent for 1 patient, 7 patients go well with their caretakers and 3 do not. All the immobile patients (5 patients) have not adapted a proper environment. Among the patients with walking aids, 2 have adapted their environment and 1 does not. 3 mobile patients haven't adapt any of their environment. 3 patients have never been visited, 8 have been visited, but only for some conversations. Srinakarind hospital has a policy for patient referring, but has no responsible unit. It is also lack of good coordination inside the hospital itself, and lack of coordination between it and the primary care unit for follow-up. The primary care unit has its programme to visit 4 patients each day but never be able to act according to the programme.Conclusion :  The hospital \& PCU ‘s programs for the patients are neither suitable nor effective.Many patients seek other improper treatment or abandon the rehabilitative programs due to their lack of knowledge.Solve the problems by fixing the causes. Hence developing a more proper programs also include education in the programs. For knowledge yields compliance \& understanding.Keywords  :  Problem seeking; Paralysis 

Knowledge and Behavior of Khon Kaen University Student for Ear Picking

Background: The Otorhinolaryngology Outpatient Department (OPD) at Srinagarind Hospital has reported that most patients have an incorrect knowledge and behavior regarding cleaning their ears. Introduction of foreign bodies into the ear canal can result in Ear Nose throat (ENT) diseases ranging from mild (acute otitis externa, impact cerumen) to severe (tympanic membrane perforation) with possible loss of hearing. One-third of the Otolaryngology OPD cases with acute otitis externa and impact cerumen in 2003 were students. We, therefore, wanted to assess the knowledge and behavior of ear cleaning among Khon Kaen University students. Our study should yield results useful for the development of correct behavior for ear cleaning thereby decreasing the incidence of ENT diseases.Objectives: 1) to estimate the prevalence of ear cleaning among KKU undergraduates; and, 2) to evaluate their knowledge and behaviors.Design: Descriptive studySetting: Khon Kaen University, Amphur Muang, Khon Kaen, ThailandPopulation: Undergraduates at Khon Kaen University who clean their ears.Sampling: 250 persons by accidental samplingTool: Self-administered questionnaireAnalysis: Descriptive and analytic statisticsResults: The sample included 250 undergraduates (63% female), ranging between 16 and 26 years of age, from the 16 Faculties. Knowledge was studied in two parts: 1) “ears and ear wax” and 2) “ear cleaning and its possible complications”. Most (86%) of the respondents had an adequate knowledge as determined by an ENT specialist. In part 1. “ears and ear wax and part 2 ear cleaning and its possible complications” 69 and 64 percent had passing scores. All of the respondents had poked their ears an average 9 times the previous month: 5 times for cleaning and 3 times to decrease irritation. Devices introduced into the ear canal included cotton buds (7 times) and fingertips/fingernails (1 time). Most respondents did their own ears (8 times). There was a correlation between knowledge in parts I or parts I and II and the avoidance of intrusions into the ear. However, an increase in the knowledge of part I alone had no significant impact on the number of intrusions into the ear canal.Conclusion: Most respondents had an adequate knowledge of the dangers of introducing objects into the ear canal, but still think that it is necessary. Health education should include an explanation of the mechanism by which the ear rids itself of wax, the possible complications and correct methods for cleaning ears without introducing foreign objects. People’s belief about the necessity for ear cleaning might then be changed and the behavior altogether reduced

Prevalence of Bamboo-meal syndrome in the Northeast Thais

Background:  Many patients in clinical practice of one of the authors had various symptoms after eating bamboo shoots e.g. headaches, back/waist/leg pains and/or dyspepsia. This study could establish a part of baseline data to solve the other related problems. Objective:  The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of bamboo shoot consumption and prevalence of various symptoms particularly those with a hereditary link.Method:   A descriptive study.  Data were collected using a structured questionnaire completed through an in-depth interview.Setting:   Bandong subdistrict, Ubonrat district, Khon Kaen province and Phosrisumran subdistrict, Nonesaard district, Udornthani province, Thailand.    Population:  married women, of at least 20 years of age.Results:  Two hundred and five married women were interviewed. Most of them (77%) were 31 to 50 years of age.  The majority (75% of the 153 cases) ate bamboo shoots often.  Among those who urinated in a bowl at night, 61% observed a turbid white precipitate. Ninety cases (44%) had other  symptoms after eating bamboo shoots, such as, stomach pain and dyspepsia, leg/arm pains, back pain, joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Half (53%) of respondents remembered their predecessors  having similar symptoms after eating bamboo shoots, however, there was no statistically significant association of the symptoms between the respondents and their known forebears. Suggestions:  Further research should be conducted into the dietary habits of rural Northeast Thais including cooking techniques for detoxifying bamboo shoots as techniques may help prevent the gall stones endemic among them.Key words:   symptom prevalence, bamboo shoots, bamboo-meal syndrome.

The Attitude of Breadwinner toward the Concept of Wellbeing and Their Families’ Current Standard of Living

Background:  In recent years, Thai’s lifestyle and the concept of “well-being” have changed to become more materialism. These changes causes serious social problems which need to be solved urgently. We therefore focused on the breadwinners in Bannongkung Moo 17 and their opinions of the  well being concept. And at the same time trying to push forward this concept into the community. Objectives1.    To know the breadwinners’ attitude towards the “Well being concepts” and2. To know the standard of living in this community. (i.e. certainty of life, physical and mental health, functional stable, interactive community, non-polluted, political freedom, self sastisfaction)Study design :  Descriptive studySetting:  Bannongkung  Moo 17, Sila subdistric, Mueng distric, Khon Kaen province, Thailand.Sample \&Sampling method : 75 breadwinners, who lived in Bannongkung Moo 17, were selected by systematic random sampling.Data collection : Interviewed questionnaires and focus group discussion.Data analysis :  Using Epi info version 6 to generate descriptive statistics (i.e. frequency, percentage and mean)Result All questionnaires were answered and returned. Most of the respondents are men (58.70%) aged between 31-60yrs (78.7%). Most of them (89.3%) agreed with the concept, on the other hand, the others who didn’t agree suggested that money and cars are  also necessary. The most common problems found are debt, illness and unstable job (64.0%, 41.3%,41.3%respectively). Most breadwinners suggested that genial family (36%) were the main reason for happiness. And financial crisis (49%) were the main reason for unhappiness.Conclusion Most breadwinners agreed with the Well Being Concept and satisfied with what they have. However, most of them also suggested that money still is necessary for livings and if we don’t adhere to the money to much it would make us happier.Keywords:  community, Well being concept.

Prevalence of Undergraduate Students of Khon Kaen University, who Used Mobile Phone While Driving

Background : The in-vehicle use of mobile phone is rapidly increasing. It may lead to the traffic accidents and injuries which are the important  public health problems in Thailand and Khon Kaen University (KKU).Objectives : To study the prevalence, pattern and attitude of using mobile phone while driving among undergraduate students of Khon Kaen University.Design : Descriptive studySetting : Khon Kaen University.Population and samples : 385 undergraduate students who registered in the first semester of 2006 academic year were randomly selected from the total of 14,995 students by systematic sampling.Tool : Self-administered questionnaire.Analysis :  Data analysis was accomplished by using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage , 95% CI, median and interquatile range.Results  :  The prevalence of using mobile phone while driving of KKU. undergraduate students was 76.3% (95%CI: 71.1%, 80.7%) or 90.0% of  samples that using mobile phone and can drive or ride the vehicles and 70.0% of samples had used in the past year (95% CI: 64.6%, 74.9%). Most of them used the mobile phone for talking (99.2%). 67.2% of users group used hand-free for talking.  4.1% of users were used to have the traffic accident while using the mobile phone while driving or riding (95% CI: 2.1%, 7.6%).  89.1% of samples think that using the mobile phone while driving or riding was decrease ability of driving performance.Conclusion :  Most of undergraduate students of Khon Kaen University still use mobile phone while driving or riding although they think that behavior was decreased ability of driving or riding performance, thus target groups for intervention efforts against using the mobile phone while driving are suggested.Key words  :   prevalence used, mobile phone, Undergraduate students, Khon Kaen University. 

The Comparative Study of Quality of Life between the Medical Students and General Population in Samleam Community at the Same Age Group

Background: Medical knowledge is growing dramatically. Medical students need to adjust their learning behavior as well as their private life to cope with this transition. Thus, their quality of life may differ from the general population. Objective: To compare quality of life between medical students and general population in the same age groupDesign: Cross-sectional analytical studySetting: Khon Kaen Medical School and a selected urban community in Khon Kaen downtown.Population and Samples: Systematic sampling was performed for both groups, at equal samples of 118 each. Tool: Self-administered questionnaire which compose of demographic data and WHOQOLBREF Thai was employed.Analysis: Mean, SD, median, percent as well as 95% CI, odds ratio, chi-square were employed.Results: Of 236 questionnaires distributed, 199 were returned with response rate of 86.4% for medical students and 82.2% for youth group. Age distribution was similar with the median of 21 and 22. Economic status of the medical students seemed superior to youth group. More than 60% of medical students perceived themselves as good quality of life which was significantly higher than that of the youth (35.1%) (p