The Development of Integrated Communication Patterns for Pregnancy Prevention of Thai Children and Adolescents in Chainat Province

Abstract

          The purposes of this qualitative research and action research were as follows: 1. to study the factors of pregnancy in Thai children and adolescents in Chainat Province; 2. to study the family communication and participatory communication in the community for pregnancy protection of Thai adolescents; 3. to study the integrated pattern of family communication and participatory communication in the community for pregnancy prevention of Thai adolescents; and 4. to produce a brochure to diffuse pregnancy prevention of adolescents. The 5 key groups of informants formed by purposive method were adolescents in the education system with premature pregnancies (less than 20 year old) in intact and broken families and their parent group of 3 families in 8 districts, totaling 48 people and teachers in the group. There was an opinion leader group and public health technical officer group, each with 24 people. The research instruments were in-dept interview questionnaires of 5 key informant groups, which were examined for validity by 3 Population and Communication Arts experts. The qualitative data action research was analyzed by inductive content analysis and the data examined with triangulation. The research results found that: 1) the family communication had to talk or to open up and to be good example. The participatory communication of the community had 5 aspects, namely, joint thinking, planning, co-operation, benefit sharing, and joint evaluation of creative activities that prevent pregnancy of children and adolescents; and 2) communication integration should be part of a network of family communication and communal communication in the prevention and problem solution to child and adolescent pregnancy.