The application of HDC environmental health principle platform for Hua Hin Town Municipality collaborative management During COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract. 

                        COVID-19 has widely impacted on people’s health, socioeconomic aspects, and ways of life. The use of disease control measurements together with environmental health principle might help manage the town collaboratively during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, researchers are interested in applying HDC environmental health principle platform (HDC) to manage Hua Hin, the significant and attractive town for tourists, during the pandemic. This mixed model research aimed to survey people’s understandings on the HDC and to study factors involving to the Hua Hin Town’s collaborative management during the pandemic. The study’s participants included administrators, owners, and staff in both public and private organizations, and general people. Data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview during April 2020 and April 2021. Two-hundred and eighty subjects participated in quantitative study. It was found that 56.4% of participants supported establishments to apply the HDC for rapid recovery. Additionally, 61.8% of the participants were willing to spread word of mouth to other establishments to use the HDC for the disease control and prevention. For qualitative results using an interview, findings were revealed that there are two significant factors related to the application of HDC and collaborative management of the town during the pandemic. The first one is “the Four Capitals” composing of human capital, cultural capital, social capital, and economic capital. The second one is “the Four Collaborative Networks” comprising of public section, academic section, private section, and civil section. This study indicates the concepts, principles, and methods of the Hua Hin Town Municipality’s collaborative management using the HDC and its own powerful potentials during the pandemic. Therefore, these should be made widespread to its people and other towns and cities in order to be as the role model of collaborative and effective town management.