The Communication Process and Strategy to Create Participation for Thai Early Childhood Oral Hygiene Development Campaign Among Healthy Teeth Network Schools, Thailand

Wattana Chancharuswattana, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand

The Asian Conference on Media, Communication & Film 2019 Official Conference Proceedings

Abstract The objective of this research is to study the communication process and strategies to create participation for Thai early childhood oral hygiene development campaign among Healthy Teeth network schools in Nakhon Pathom province,Thailand. This qualitative research collected the data from 15 key informants whose work is related to early childhood oral hygiene. The in-depth interviews were held with key informants from 3 groups: 1) Nine directors of schools, comprising Kreua Khai Klang Kru Wiang Samphan School that had received the award for excellence in having students with good dental health in 2015 in Nakhon Pathom Province; 2) Four Public Health Department officials, comprising both academics and dentists who were experts in pediatric oral health; and 3) Two representatives of communities, comprising the village headmen of Samphran and Nakhon Chai Sri District. The key informants were chosen by purposive sampling. The data collecting tool was a semi-structured interview form. Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. The research results show that (1) the communication process consists of 1) the most important senders are schools, hospitals and sub-district health promotion hospitals respectively.2) the main message is oral hygiene prevention and care. 3) the communication channels mostly used are teachers, dentists, leaflets, website, training and activities. 4) Parents and teachers will get the right oral hygiene knowledge after the campaign and their attitude and practice are also effected. (2) the communication strategy are public communication campaign, participatory communication, public relations and communication network.

Keywords: Communication Process, Communication strategy, Participation, Early Childhood Oral Hygiene

iafor The International Academic Forum www.iafor.org Introduction

Communication process and strategy of oral health promotion program in primary schools with early childhood students among Healthy Teeth Network Schools should be developed because the prevalence rates of early childhood dental caries in baby tooth in Thailand are very high, 51.7 % for 3-year-old children and 78.5 % for 5-year- old children.1 Moreover, the budget allocation for preventive dentistry is also very high. Early childhood students get pain from caries and cannot study effectively.

To create participation for Thai early childhood oral hygiene development campaign, communication process and strategy should be urgently improved by studying from successful Network schools. And “Kreua Khai Klang Kru Wiang Samphan Schools” in Nakhon Pathom Province receiving the award for excellence in having students with good dental health in 2015, is a good model of successful communication. This research aimed to find out successful communication process and strategy for concerned operators at schools, family and community level.

Research Question

1. What is the communication process used to create participation in the campaign for early childhood oral hygiene development in Thailand? 2. What are the communication strategies that would better create participation in the campaign for early childhood oral hygiene development in Thailand?

Research Methodology

This qualitative research interviewed 15 key informants chosen by purposive sampling from 3 groups: 1) Nine directors of schools selected from whom receiving the award for excellence in having students with good dental health in 2015. Those directors are from Kreua Khai Kland Kru Wiang Samphan Schools in Nakhon Pathom Province.2) Four Public Health Department officials, who are experts in pediatric oral health at Dental Health Division, Ministry of Public Health, Health Promotion Center Region 5, Nakhon Pathom Provincial Health office and Huayplu hospital located in the zones where the selected schools were located. 3) Two representatives of communities, selecting from the village leader of Sam Phran District and Nakhon Chai Si District.

The data collecting tool was a semi-structured interview form. Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis.

1.Dental health Division, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health (2012). The 7th Thailand National Oral Health Survey Report, 2008-2012. Bangkok: Publications Bureau of Veterans Affairs Organization.

Conclusions

Early childhood oral hygiene communication Process

Early childhood oral hygiene communication process consists of 1) Sender: the most important senders are schools, hospitals and sub-district health promotion hospitals respectively. 2) Message: the main message is oral hygiene prevention and care. 3) Channel: the communication channels mostly used are teachers, dentists, leaflets, website, training and activities. 4) Receiver: parents, teachers and children getting the right oral hygiene knowledge after the campaign. 5) The results/impact of communication: the spread of correct information and improvement of attitudes and behavior related to good oral hygiene in children occurred.

Early Childhood Oral Hygiene Communication Process

1. Sender v Bureau of Dental Health 2. Message v Health Promotion Center v Oral hygiene prevention and care v Message Design: pictures, cartoons, Region 5 positive & negative affect, specialist v Nakhon Pathom Provincial Health Office v Frequency: 3 months v Hospitals v Sub-District Health Stations v Community Leaders v Schools 3. Channel v Personal Media: Teachers, Dentists v Printed Media: Leaflets, pamphlets

v Electronic Media: Website, 4. Receiver Line mobile application v Parents, Teachers, Children v Specialized Media: Training, v Community Volunteers activities, storytelling v Community Leaders

5. Effect v Knowledge v Attitude v Practice Spreading of correct information and behavior related to good oral hygiene in children

Figure 1. Early Childhood Oral Hygiene Communication Process

Communication strategies

It is found that 4 communication strategies to create participation for Thai early childhood oral hygiene development campaign are as the followings: 1) Public communication campaign 2) Participatory communication 3) Public relations 4) Communication Network. The mostly used communication strategies are working through oral hygiene network and people participation.

1) Public communication campaign

Public communication campaigns encompass strategies for producing effects on the knowledge, attitude and behavior of large population across variety of domains including political, pro-social, environmental and health outcomes.2

It is found that public communication campaign is used to produce effects on the knowledge, attitude and behavior of early childhood oral hygiene to parents, teachers and community and to inform, persuade or motivate oral hygiene behavior changes in a target audience, by means of organized communication activities involving mass media. Moreover, it is used to maximize the chances of success through the coordination of media efforts with a mix of other interpersonal and community-based communication channels.

Public communication campaign of early childhood oral health are as the followings: Tooth brushing, “First Love, First tooth”, Good quality of meal in schools, No useless food and desserts in and around schools, Stop the bedtime bottle and Tooth check up and Fluoride vanish by dentists.

2) Participatory communication

Participatory communication is an approach based on dialogue, which allows the sharing of information, perceptions and opinions among the various stakeholders and thereby facilitate their empowerment. It is the exploration and generation of new knowledge aimed at addressing situations that need to be improved.3

It is found that participatory communication is used for sharing of information, perceptions and opinions among the various stakeholders of early childhood oral hygiene and thereby facilitates their empowerment. Moreover, it is used for exchange of information and experiences, exploration and generation of new knowledge aimed at addressing oral health situation that need to be improved and it is associated with community driven development by using Two way communication and full participation by all stakeholders in any step of the process.

2. Cheldy S, Elumba-Pableo. Public Communication Campaigns. Retrieved July 10,2016 from https://www.slideshare.net/CheldhayeDay/public-communication- campaign) 3. Thomas Tufte and Paolo Mefalopulos (2009) Participatory communication: A Practical Guide-GSDRC from https://gsdrc.org>document-library

Participation from all sectors concerned are as the following:

v Public health sectors make oral hygiene campaign.

v School Administrator encourage teachers to look after children’s oral health check up, tooth brushing and join activity of dissemination of information.

v Parents take children to see dentists for oral health check up when having Participation caries and pay more attention to take care children’s oral health. from all sectors concerned

v Community gives importance to join early childhood oral health, no useless food and Arrange activities desserts around schools. -Sub- district Administrative Organization provides budget allocation to improve early Make people childhood oral health. participation

Communication/

Public relations

Figure 2. Participation from all sectors concerned

3) Public Relations

Public relations is the attempt by information, persuasion and adjustment to engineer public support for an activity, cause, movement or institution.4

Public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends.5

It is found that public relations is the communication strategy to create participation for Thai early childhood oral hygiene development campaign. The right information of early childhood oral hygiene will help support for the oral hygiene activity and movement with the following methods.

4.Bermays,E.L.(1955).The Engineering of consent. Norman, Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, PP.3-4. 5.Broom (2009) Effective Public Relations. page 7. Retrieved July 10, 2016 from https://www.praccreditation.org

v Provide training on children oral hygiene

- Methods to prevent and treat oral health in

children, tooth brushing, consumption of sugary food, no aerated water

v Make public relations through mixed media leaflet, school sign board, community radio broadcasting

v Make public relations to parents: - Parents meeting after school Public relations for early - Oral health memo / letter to parents childhood oral hygiene

v Provide training from hospitals and health stations on oral hygiene to parents, teachers and children

v Make public relations through network school

- Teachers, village volunteers

Figure 3. Public relations for early childhood oral hygiene

4) Communication network

The pattern of contacts among the members of the organization and flow of information among them is communication network. The network depends upon the magnitude of the organization, nature of communication channels in the organization and the number of persons involved in the process.6

It is found that communication network is the communication strategy to create parti cipation for Thai early childhood oral hygiene development campaign by using meaning network work and working through oral hygiene network such as school network, public health station network, family network and community network and also using both formal and informal networks.

The communication strategies to reach the success are also related to 1) School 2) Family 3) Early childhood oral hygiene promoting activities 4) Public relations 5) The participation from all concerned sectors 6) Outside and inside factors. Outside factors are policies, environments/community, belief and network management. Inside factors are oral hygiene and oral check up by dentists.

6. Communication networks , Top 5 types of communication network. Retrieved 10 July 16. from www.yourarticlelibrary.com>top 5 types of communication network (with Diagram)

Research Recommendations

The schools and public health sectors should share these findings to help other network schools to improve the communications methods. More research from other successful healthy teeth network schools should be made to compare the communication tactics and strategies in all regions of the country. Schools, family, public health sectors and community should put more emphasis on early childhood oral hygiene development communication policy. For media recommendations, 1) using effective and efficient organization communication both Two way communication and One way communication 2) using mixed media covering personal media, printed media, electronic media and specialized media. To namely a few, Personal media are dentists, teachers, volunteers. Printed media are leaflets, pamphlets, guide books for early childhood oral hygiene. Electronic media are oral health TV program such as “Funsuayfapa”,Healthy teeth program, TV advertisement with oral hygiene, community radio broadcasting. Specialized media are training/meeting of teachers and parents or health station team and activities which are storytelling, exhibition and early childhood dental contest.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my special thanks to Associate Professor Dr. Kamolrat Intaratat, Associate Professor Dr. Piyachat Lomchavakarn,and Associate Professor Dr. Thanavadee Boonlue, Assistant Professor Dr. Porntip Yenjabok and Assistant Profesor Dr. Nate Hongkrailert who gave me the golden opportunity to do this research. Their guidance, encouragement, suggestion and very constructive criticism have contributed immensely to the evolution of my ideas on this research.

I would also like to thank to all of key informants who gave me the valuable interview data. Those are as the following: 1) Directors of schools from Kreua Khai Klang Kru Wiang Samphan Schools in Nakhon Pathom, 2) Public Health Department officials, who were dentists and experts in pediatric oral health from Health Promotion Center Region 5, Ratchburi Province, from Nakhon Pathom Provincial Health Office, and from Huayplu Hospital, and also academic from Bureau of Dental health, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health and 3) representatives of communities, who are Village headman of Nakhon Chaisri District and Sam Phran District ,Nakhon pathom.

I would like to thank my family and friends who helped me a lot in finishing this research.

References

Bermays,E.L.(1955).The Engineering of consent. Norman, Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press, PP.3-4.

Broom. (2009). Effective Public Relations. page 7. Retrieved July 10,2016 from https://www.praccreditation.org.

Cheldy S, Elumba-Pableo. Public Communication Campaigns. Retrieved July 10,2016 from from https://www.slideshare.net/CheldhayeDay/public- communication campaign.

Communication networks, Top 5 types of communication network. Retrieved 10 July 16. From www.yourarticlelibrary.com>top 5 types of communication network(with Diagram).

Dental Health Division, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health (2012). The 7th Thailand National Oral Health Survey Report, 2008 - 2012. Bangkok: Publications Bureau of Veterans Affairs Organization.

Department of Health and National Health Security Office.(2013).Thai Strategic Oral Health Plan 2012-2016, Bangkok:Publications Bureau of Veterans Affairs Organization.

National Health Security Office.(2013).National Health Security Fund Management Guide 2013. Bangkok: Srimaung Pringting Co., Ltd.

Report of Dek Thai Fundee Network Activity Development and Academic Conference for Exchange Knowledge of Dek Thai Fundee Network Schools in 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016

Thomas Tufte and Paolo Mefalopulos (2009) Participatory communication: A Practical Guide-GSDRC. Retrieved July 10,2016 from https://gsdrc.org>document- library

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