Health Communication to Develop Knowledge of Health About Thai Traditional Medicine Alternative Medicine and Herbs Through Online Media in Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this article were 1) study the process of health Communication to develop knowledge of health crisis using Thai traditional medicine, alternative medicine, and herbs through online media; 2) study factors affecting communication to develop knowledge of health and 3) study the guidelines to develop knowledge of health. The study applied mixed methods research methodology. The sample consisted of 3,750 including fifteen years old or older participants from six regions of Thailand, who were selected through purposive sampling. The instrument used was rating scale questionnaire. For qualitative research, a semi-structured interview was used with ten key informants.

The findings revealed that: 1) the process of health communication to develop knowledge of the health of the Departments of Thai Traditional Medicine (DTAM)and Alternative Medicine was considered the collaboration between the public and private sector. They produced media and content to develop knowledge of health were used to manage communication in due time. The influencers assisted in the communication process. Visibility blocking in the Facebook of DTAM resulted in an inability to spread the news to the public. Furthermore, 2) factors affecting communication to develop knowledge of health were found at a high level with the mean score of 3.88. When considering each item, it was found that getting news from the network of hospitals or agencies relating to DTAM was high with a mean score of 3.96. In addition, 3) the following suggestions were given: 1) personnel proficient in online media should be recruited; 2) content could be perceived and used simultaneously by the people, and it should be made to suit the platforms of each type of online media.