The Utilization of Social Capital for Health among People in Tambon Tha Kham Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province - การใช้ทุนทางสังคมด้านสุขภาพของประชาชนในตำบลท่าข้าม อำเภอหาดใหญ่ จังหวัดสงขลา

Abstract

         This descriptive study was aimed at investigating the utilization of social capital for health among people in Tambon Tha Kham, HatYai district, Songkhla province. The informants, recruited from the key persons and the group leaders in the community, were 27 persons which composed of village headmen, Islamic priests, Buddhist priests, group leaders, village health volunteers, folk medicine healers, chief of heath care centers, school principles, and a chief administrator of the Sub district Administrative Organization (SAO). A focus group, an interview, and document studies were used as the technique of data collection. Data was analyzed using a process of content analysis. The study found that the social capitals for health in Tambon Tha Kham, Hat Yai district were
composed of people, community organization, government organization, non-government organization, religious institutions and local wisdom. The social capital for health have been using for multiple purposes such as 1) health promotions which consisted of several aspects including nutrition, child development and dental health, pregnant women, post-pregnancy and elder persons, sport and exercise, and mental health; 2) health preventions which included health screening, immunization, environmental management, and protection risk and addictive behavior; 3) treatment and rehabilitation which consisted of basic medical care for sick students, treatment, social welfare benefits on medical expenses and transport services, and health care and advisory services. The barriers of social capital for health utilization among people in Tambon Tha Kham were divided into 3 parts; 1) individual features such as unawareness toward healthcare, tiredness at work, and personal values toward using health services, 2) family features such as paying no attention,
eating lifestyles, and no caregivers 3) environmental features for example, no follow-up, unpleasant places, and no leaders. Therefore, the health care personnel should maximize existing social capital for health’s ability and using process for the benefit of health.
Key words: social capital, community health, organization