فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background and Objectives: Oral health disparities remain a major public health challenge in Thailand, particularly in areas with limited dental care access. While village health volunteers (VHVs) are crucial for community health education, their role in promoting oral health through nutrition literacy remains underutilized. This study evaluated a nutrition literacy program's impact on VHVs' oral health knowledge, skills, and practice using mixed-methods research.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted from January to March 2024 in Health Region 1, northern Thailand, using a mixed methods embedded experimental design. Sixty VHVs from mountainous areas with high oral health needs and limited dental access received a three-day training program delivered by dentists and nutritionists. Training covered nutrition literacy, communication skills, and practical community application. Data collection included pre-post tests using a researcher-developed 16-item knowledge assessment (α = 0.78) validated by experts, skill evaluations (6-item checklist, α = 0.85), observations from 5 qualified observers, and focus group discussions. Data analysis included paired t-tests and thematic analysis with methodological triangulation (p < 0.05).Results: Participants (mean age 52.15 ± 7.20 years, 95% female) demonstrated significant knowledge improvement (mean difference = 7.38; p < 0.001) and effectiveness indices of 88.16/88.33, surpassing the 80/80 benchmark. Mean skill scores were 15.67 ± 2.319 out of 18 points. Qualitative results showed increased confidence, teamwork, technology use, leadership skills, and effective community knowledge application.Conclusion: The program effectively enhanced VHVs' oral health knowledge and skills. Recommendations include: (1) incorporating the program into regular VHV training curricula with quarterly assessments, (2) establishing mentorship systems between experienced and new VHVs, (3) developing community-based oral health monitoring systems utilizing VHVs' enhanced skills, and (4) creating local support networks for continuous knowledge exchange and skill reinforcement. These recommendations aim to strengthen community oral health promotion by enhancing VHV capacity.