Factors Affecting Participation in the Management of the Local Health Security Funds by the Local Health Security Fund Committees in Pathum Thani Province

Abstract

               This cross-sectional analytical study examined factors influencing the level of participation in the management of Local Health Security Funds (LHSFs) among committee members in Pathum Thani Province. The sample comprised 335 LHSF committee members selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participants' characteristics, while inferential statistics—namely, chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression—were employed to identify predictors of participation, with a significance level of 0.05.  The findings indicated that three factors significantly predicted committee members’ participation in the management of Local Health Security Funds (LHSFs) in Pathum Thani Province. First, members with a high perception of the fund’s benefits were 2.87 times more likely to engage in fund management than those with low perceived benefits (95% CI: 1.247–6.592, p = 0.013). Second, members who highly perceived their committee roles were 2.22 times more likely to participate compared with those with low role perception (95% CI: 1.083–4.546, p = 0.029). Finally, members with a high perception of leadership were 4.43 times more likely to engage in fund management than their counterparts with a low perception of leadership (95% CI: 1.876–10.474, p = 0.001).

            Policymakers should enhance committee members’ understanding of the benefits and roles associated with fund management and support the development of leadership capacities among fund chairpersons and committee members to effectively stimulate participation in fund governance.