Abstract:
Rabies is an endemic fatal viral zoonosis. In Thailand, 40 percent of those infected are under age 15. This study aims to develop an activity model targeting young people for Rabies prevention. This study was divided into two (2) phases. The first phase utilized survey methods as cross-sectional research. The sample group was two hundred eighty-seven (287) grade four students from seven (7) schools in Chonburi using questionnaires as research instruments. The second phase was the creation, development, and study of the effect of a Rabies prevention activity model. The sample group was utilized in quasi-experimental research. The two (2) groups were the activity group and the comparison group of twenty-three (23) and twenty-two (22), respectively. The results were measured 3 times: before activity, after activity, and follow-up. The number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, PLS-SEM, t-test independent, and Repeated measures ANOVA were implemented to analyze the results. The results of the first phase found that the level of Rabies knowledge (β = 0.129, se = 0.057, p< 0.005) Rabies attitude (β = 0.180, se = 0.052, p< 0.005) and Rabies protection motivation (β = 0.188, se = 0.054 p< 0.005) showed significant positive correlations with Rabies prevention behaviors. The results of the second phase study found that after the activity period students in the activity group had mean scores that had greater statistical significance than the comparison group for Rabies knowledge (K), Rabies prevention motivation (PMT), and Rabies perceived severity (PS) at the 0.05 significance level. Furthermore, the mean score of Rabies response efficacy (RE) was also significantly higher than the 0.1 level. And in the follow-up period, the student in the activity group had significantly higher mean scores of PMT and PS than the comparison group at a 95 percent confidence level. Lastly, all three (3) phases (before activity, after activity and follow-up) discovered that students responses in the activity group had means of K, PMT, PS, and RE with statistically significant differences between the pairs of means at F = 3.192, df = 2, p < 0.1;F = 7.334, df = 2, p < 0.05;F = 5.25, df = 2, p < 0.05 and F = 6.266, df = 2, p < 0.05, respectively. The results indicate that this study model can help students achieve higher Rabies prevention motivation, Rabies perceived severity and Rabies response efficacy. Moreover, those variable scores are also retained at the same levels after the experiment 4 weeks. As a result, these findings demonstrated that the study model was practical, useful, and revealing. Further study and development of Rabies prevention programs for young people with an emphasis on both online and onsite education would be invaluable.