Factors Associated with the Smart-Osm Using Behavior of Village Health Volunteers in Ban Bueng District, Chonburi Province

Abstract

The Smart Osm application is a digital tool designed to support village health volunteers
(VHVs) in public health operations, disease surveillance, and reporting. This cross-sectional survey
aimed to (1) assess knowledge, attitudes, and using behaviors regarding the Smart Osm application
among VHVs in Ban Bueng District, Chonburi Province, and (2) identify factors associated with
using behaviors of VHVs. The participants consisted of 350 VHVs recruited from eight subdistricts.
Simple random sampling was employed, with proportional allocation based on the number of
VHVs in each subdistrict. Data were collected between May and June 2025 using structured
questionnaires and a knowledge assessment on the Smart Osm application. Frequency and
percentage were used to analyze participant charecteristics. Fisher's Exact Test and spearman’s rank
correlation coefficients were used to determine factors associcated with using behaviors.
The results showed that VHVs demonstrated a high level of knowledge (77.43%), positive attitudes
toward application use (95.14%), and good usage behaviors (90.57%). Knowledge and duration
of application use were positively but weakly correlated with using behaviors (rs = 0.19, p < 0.001;
rs = 0.11, p = 0.045, respectively). In contrast, income was weakly and negatively associated
with using behaviors (rs = − 0.11, p = 0.044). Attitudes toward application use showed a moderate
positive correlation with using behaviors (rs = 0.32, p < 0.001). In conclusion, income, knowledge,
attitudes, and duration of application use were significantly associated with Smart Osm application
using behaviors. Therefore, interventions to enhance knowledge and foster positive attitudestoward the application are recommended to promote sustained and effective use. Nevertheless,
item-level behavioral analysis revealed key technical barriers, particularly user authentication
and web-based login processes, highlighting the need to simplify system design and strengthen
VHVs’ technical skills.

Keywords: Knowledge; Attitude; Behavior; Village Health Volunteers; Smart-OSM Application