Hat Yai Research Articles

The development process of urban agricultural networks to ensure urban food security in Hat Yai City, Songkhla Province, Thailand

ABSTRACT The purpose study was to examine the process, results, factors affecting the development process of the Hat Yai urban agricultural network for food security, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, Thailand, using qualitative research. Participant observation, in-depth interviews, group discussions, and inductive data analysis were conducted. Data were collected from thirty-one participants. The study found that the process of agricultural network development consists of three stages: network formation, seeking cooperation, learning and integration. The results are reflected at the individual, group, and network levels, linking them to the sustainable development dimension. The positive factors affecting the development process are the urban context, common goals, organisational culture, management, and building trust. The negative factors include the nature of Hat Yai urban residents in the context of developing countries, resource inadequacy, and public policy. The recommendations involve having holistic and targeted local public policy regarding urban agriculture to establish sustainable urban food security.

Examining the models of social entrepreneurs in Nam Noi community, Hat Yai district, Songkhla province

Examining the models of social entrepreneurs in Nam Noi community, Hat Yai district, Songkhla province

Uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among high-risk urban populations in Southern Thailand using the COM-B model.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed unprecedented suffering on social and individual levels worldwide. Vaccines against COVID-19 have been prioritized as a crucial strategy for ending the pandemic as well as minimizing its consequences. This study aimed to determine the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among high-risk urban populations in Southern Thailand using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) model. We conducted a web-based cross-sectional study in the Hat Yai district, Songkhla province in Southern Thailand, in September and October 2021. The questionnaire was composed of sections on sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 vaccination status, and COM-B constructs. We employed a multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. We set statistical significance at p < 0.05. In this study, females constituted 54.7% of the total participants (n = 358), and nearly half of the participants (45.8%) were in the younger age group (18-29). Of all the participants, 59.5% (95%CI: 54.2%-64.6%) received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Factors associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine and their adjusted OR (95% CI) were being married: 3.59 (2.06-6.24), having a graduate degree: 2.34 (1.38-3.96), gainfully employed: 3.30 (1.91-5.67), having a high level of opportunity: 2.90 (1.48-5.66), and having a high level of motivation: 2.87 (1.17-17.08). The uptake of COVID-19 vaccines was moderate in this population. Moreover, the results showed that the COM-B model is useful in predicting COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The findings of this study could be used to aid future public health interventions in any event of outbreaks similar to COVID-19 disease in Thailand and beyond.

THE MEASURE OF AIRPORT EFFICIENCY AND OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES IN SOUTHERN THAILAND

Eight provinces in Thailand’s south tourism-related airports are expected to push for more significant airport expansion. In response to the expansion of the tourism industry in each province of the southern region and the increasing use of services from people in the provinces and neighboring areas, the problem of airports in the eight provinces consists of inefficiency in operating systems and service management. The construction and expansion of infrastructure projects that do not meet the needs of service users need to be improved. Therefore, this study chose a performance measurement tool to help analyze the data using slack-based measure data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) to measure the efficiency and operations of all eight airports quantitatively. In addition, the research team used qualitative data to help determine the problem of the input and output factors of all eight airports and used the Tobit regression model to analyze factors affecting the operational efficiency of all eight airports in the southern region of Thailand. According to the study, Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport (NST), Phuket Airport (HKT), Krabi Airport (KBV), Surat Thani Airport (URT), Hat Yai Airport (HDY) and Chumphon Airport (CMJ) also lacked operational efficiency. Almost all airports should have improved input factors, such as number of check-in counters, terminal area, parking area lots and pit stops. Output factors such as number of flights and number of goods. It was also found that Chumphon Airport (CMJ) and Hat Yai Airport (HDY) were also the least efficient in operation. Furthermore, factors affecting the operating efficiency of all eight airports in the southern region of Thailand can be sorted from most influencing factors to least as follows: Airport condition (X4), security (X3), and airport staff (X1), respectively.

Influence of Web Design, Usefulness, Ease of Use, and Enjoyment on Beauty and Cosmetics Online Purchase Intention towards a Popular Brand in Thailand

This study intends to develop Hat Yai's Smart ICT model. IoT, Big Data, Cloud, etc. This study will help Hat Yai's governor create a Smart City and Smart ICT solution. It helps discover the Smart City component that will benefit residents most while maintaining faithfully to the city's original development goal. This research will also help create Smart ICT solutions for Smart City development. A Smart Society, Smart Environment, and Smart Economy fit Hat Yai City's development strategy. The project aims to find a relationship between IoT, Big Data, Cyber-Physical systems, and Cloud Computing. The researcher surveyed 565 respondents in Hat Yai, Thailand, both those whose world is important to Smart ICT or the Internet of Things, Big Data, Cyber-Physical systems, and Cloud Computing and those who are not, and evaluated the data using Pearson Correlation. Internet of Things (IoT) technology is linked to a Smart Society, Smart Environment, and Smart Economy. Big Data helps build a Smart Society. Cyber-Physical System result demonstrates a relationship between a Smart Society and Smart Environment, and Cloud Computing shows a relationship.

A Study of Smart ICT model of Hat Yai Smart City, Thailand

Our research study focused on the comparison of the academic performance of boys and girls in mathematics in CM in the school district of Ouenze I in Brazzaville . To carry out this study, we relied on documentary analysis, observation and interviews. The results obtained allowed us to identify the difference between the academic performance of boys and girls in mathematics in CM. The documentary analysis through statements and report cards show that girls presented better performance in calculation writing compared to the boys. The demonstration based on these differences shows that the marks achieved by the girls are closer to the average. The themes that accentuate this difference are numeration, geometry and measurement through written calculation . Since the gap is not so great, it would therefore be appropriate to say that the Congo is making an effort to educate boys and girls in the same conditions.

A Study of Real-Time System of Water Distribution Networks: Case study of Hat Yai Waterwork Plant, Songkhla Province, Thailand

This study aims to optimize water distribution in a water supply network. One of the most important objectives for every waterwork plants is to minimize water loss in supplying system. The water supply network in Thailand is underground work and most of them have used for many years. Leakages are normally met especially when high pressure are required from demand side. This research will classify 13,580 households living around Hat Yai waterwork plant of Provincial Waterworks Authority in Hat Yai branch in Songkhla province as a demand side and put 5 water sources of Hat Yai district as a supplied side. EPANET program is used to simulate water distribution networks and SCADA application is selected to design controlling system. The result shows that water supply at the Hat Yai waterwork plant should be at least 48 meters to upper Hat Yai zone, however, booster pump may help reducing original water head to 40 meters into high-level areas. Hat Yai waterwork plant decreases energy consumption from pumping processes and also reduce water loss in water distribution system.

Levels and risk factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among COVID-19 infected adults after hospital discharge in a Southern Province of Thailand

The long-term effects on the mental health of people living with COVID-19 are emerging as a global threat to public health. This study aimed to determine the levels and risk factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress (DAS) among COVID-19 infected adults discharged from a hospital in a high-risk area in Thailand. A cross-sectional study was performed with 512 participants aged 18 years and above who had been infected with COVID-19 and discharged between 3 and 12 months in Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, Thailand during March, 2022. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data based on the short version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21 Items (DASS-21) with a content validity index of 0.89 and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86. Demographic information, medical history, and the present health status of each participant were also collected. Almost all the respondents had severe depression (62.7%), extremely severe anxiety (82.6%), and moderate and severe stress (45.3% and 41.0%, respectively). There was a positive correlation between depression and stress among COVID-19 survivors (R = 0.155, p &lt; 0.001). Factors associated with depression were a medical history of pulmonary disease (β = 1.443, p = 0.042) and higher education status (β = 1.067, p &lt; 0.001), whereas lower body mass index (BMI) (β = 0.455, p &lt; 0.001) and lower monthly income (β = 1.067, p &lt; 0.001) were associated with stress. Participants who were tested for COVID-19 for travel, study, job, and examination application (all β &gt; 0.575, all p = 0.001), and lower BMI (all β &gt; 0.601, all p &lt; 0.011) were also associated with anxiety. The findings of our study could provide baseline information for follow-up intervention initiatives to prevent long-term effects of COVID-19.

Development of a cost effective approach toward energy efficient buildings by design, fabrication and economical analysis of air conditioning pods: A case study of a bus station in Thailand

Energy consumption by air conditioners in buildings is 57% around the globe. However, particularly in Thailand percentage of energy consumption is 18.6% by bus stations due to the massive tourism. The current study aims to provide feasibility and economical analysis of small air conditioning (AC) pods at a bus station located in Hat Yai Thailand by design, fabrication and experimental investigation. As there is no need to cool complete waiting area. An economic analysis is performed in Homer Pro software. According to the results, thermal load calculated for Pod is 1236 W. COP of the system is 1.5. Moreover, proposed system is 9.5% more economical than pre working system with the payback period of 1.72years. Also, per unit cost of electricity after installation AC pods reduces by 31%. Moreover, The AC pod successfully lowered the cabin temperature down till 17 °C by using only 4.9 A and 1127 W. Current research can be used to provide thermal comfort to travelers at airports, subway or train stations or in office as a separate cabins using less amount of energy. Also, it will be a milestone towards development of simulation based small AC installations in commercial sectors, to save cost and energy in Thailand.

Transboundary haze from peatland fires and local source-derived PM2.5 in Southern Thailand

This study characterizes impacts on PM2.5 of transboundary haze from peatland fires in Indonesia and local emission sources during 2019–2020 to a large and densely populated city, Hat Yai in southern Thailand. Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), water soluble ions (WSI: Cl−, NO3−, SO42− and NH4+), element tracers (K, Na, Mg and Ca), heavy metals (Cr, Co, Pb, Cd, Ni, Mn) and As, and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) components from PM2.5 samples (n = 18) were measured to identify local and regional emission sources using a chemical mass balance (CMB) model. We used a combination of air mass backward trajectories and CMB source apportionment to identify PM2.5 sources. An increase of PM2.5 and chemical component concentrations, during the transboundary haze period, were clearly influenced by aerosols from open biomass burning in Indonesia: PAH concentrations were 2 times higher and OC concentrations, 5 times higher. Secondary organic carbons were predominant during transboundary haze periods, accounting for 52–58% of total OC, indicating higher secondary organic aerosol formation. High K levels demonstrated that the dominant source during this period was biomass burning. Whereas a high level of Ca in the background air came from urban road dust, as well as local biomass burning. Moreover, the increased concentration of SO42−, NH4+ and NO3− during the wet season, as well as transboundary haze periods, was mainly derived the secondary inorganic aerosol formation. Effect on PM2.5 concentration from a volcanic eruption near the air mass trajectory during the sampling period was minimal. However, it may have contributed slightly to an increase of SO42− concentration in PM2.5. Sources of PM2.5 in Hat Yai were clearly influenced by local emission sources, e.g. diesel combustion and biomass burning (rubber wood and rice straw), transboundary haze and also secondary organic and inorganic aerosols.

Social media addiction and self-esteem of high school students in Hat Yai municipality, secondary educational service area office 16, Thailand

Social media addiction and self-esteem of high school students in Hat Yai municipality, secondary educational service area office 16, Thailand

Studying Higher Education within Armed Conflict Areas of Thailand: a Study of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and examine the associated factors between students who studied at campuses located within the areas affected by Southern Thailand’s insurgency, and those in a nearby province.Material and Methods: This study was of a cross-sectional designed, conducted by self-administered questionnaires; using the Thai version of the PTSD checklist. The subject groups were Prince of Songkla University students who studied at the Pattani Campuses, which are located within the restive areas of Southern Thailand’s insurgency, and Hat Yai Campus, which is in a nearby province. Results: Of all 897 university students, 454 university students studied in Pattani. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was 30.8%; which is statistically significant, compared with 17.6% of those who studied in Hat Yai (p-value&lt;0.001). The associated factors, in both groups, were perception of stress from the violence due to the insurgency. Moreover, domicile and intention to resign were significantly associated with PTSD symptoms in the Pattani Campus group. However, gender, religion and satisfaction of university teaching were associated factors among university students at the Hat Yai Campus. Conclusion: Difference of PTSD symptoms among university students, who studied at the campus located in restive areas and a nearby province, was statistically significant. Both groups reported that perception of stress from the violence due to the insurgency was associated with their PTSD symptoms.

Para Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) Feedstock for Livelihoods Opportunities in Southern Thailand: Analysis of Socioeconomic Productivity Potentials and Security

Para rubber feedstock production potential was explored in Hat Yai district. The study focused on the respondent’s socioeconomic status, feedstock production potential, and mapped the relevant actors along the supply chain. Structured questionnaires were administered to 117 respondents chosen through random and purposeful sampling. The descriptive statistics, linear regression models, feedstock potential model, and Simpson’s diversity index were used to analyze the data. The findings showed average ages of 54.4 and 48.4 for farmers and processors respectively, with above 40% literacy. Seventy-six percent of the plantations’ land belongs to the respondents with corresponding average yields of 9.5 tons/yr and 1082.5 logs for latex and parawood as the main products. Farmers and processors had a mean annual para rubber income of USD 6341.35 and 2.55 million USD, respectively. The analysis revealed a significant relationship between plantation size and feedstock supply; the theoretical feedstock potential is 831,630.91 tons and is highly diverse (Simpson’s diversity index of 0.75), indicative of high potential for sustainable production and consumption. The study highlights that low latex prices alone cannot account for the decline in rubber feedstock yield, due to the high cost of new land, the inability of farmers to expand plantations, and four interlinked feedstock supply lines existing in the study area.

Flood hazards and housing prices: a spatial regression analysis for Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand

PurposeGlobal warming exacerbates sea level rise and extreme weather events that cause severe flooding, resulting in lost productivity and property damage. To reduce the impact of flooding, residents are avoiding purchasing homes in high-risk areas. There are numerous studies on the relationship between flood hazards and housing prices in developed countries, but few in developing countries. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between flood hazards and housing prices in Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses spatial-lag, spatial error and spatial autoregressive lag and error (SARAR) models to analyze the effect of flood risk on property prices. The main analysis examines the degree of flood risk and housing rental prices from our survey of 380 residences. To test the robustness of the results, the authors examine a different data set of the same samples by using the official property valuation from the Ministry of Finance and the flood risk estimated by the Southern Natural Disaster Research Center.FindingsThe SARAR model was chosen for this study because of the occurrence of spatial dependence in both dependent variable and the error term. The authors find that flood risk has a negative impact on property prices in Hat Yai, which is consistent with both models.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to use spatial econometrics to analyze the impact of flood risk on property prices in Thailand. The results of this study are valuable to policymakers for benefit assessment in cost–benefit analysis of flood risk avoidance or reduction strategies and to the insurance market for pricing flood risk insurance.

Tuberculosis Treatment Compliance Under Smartphone-Based Video-Observed Therapy Versus Community-Based Directly Observed Therapy: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundThe health care system in Thailand has struggled to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in decreased administration of community-based directly observed therapy (DOT) for tuberculosis (TB). As an alternative to failed DOT, video-observed therapy (VOT) or the Thai asynchronous VOT system, “TH VOT,” was devised. We developed a protocol for a study to test the superiority of VOT over DOT in ensuring treatment compliance.ObjectiveWe aim to compare the mean cumulative compliance days of TB patients and their observers under the VOT program with that of individuals under the DOT program during the intensive phase of TB treatment.MethodsA cluster randomized controlled trial of pulmonary TB patients and their observers will be conducted over a 2-month period. This study will be conducted in the Hat Yai and Meuang Songkhla districts of Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. A total of 38 observers working at 38 primary care units (PCUs) will be randomized equally into VOT and DOT groups. The TH VOT system will be implemented in 19 PCUs in the VOT group while the other 19 PCUs will continue with the traditional DOT program. Approximately 1-5 TB patients will be under observation, depending on the PCU jurisdiction in which the patients reside. The inclusion criteria for TB patients will be as follows: patients diagnosed with newly active pulmonary TB with a positive acid-fast bacilli sputum smear, aged >18 years, own a smartphone, and are able to use the LINE (Line Corporation) app. The exclusion criteria will be patients with a condition that requires the intervention of a specialist, rifampicin resistance according to a cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (GeneXpert MTB/RIF), unable to continue the treatment, and/or alcohol dependence. After the 2-month observation period, all sessions and follow-up clinical outcomes recorded will be retrieved. An intention-to-treat analysis will be performed to assess the compliance of both patients undergoing drug administration and their observers.ResultsThe Human Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University approved the trial on February 19, 2021 (approval number 64-03618-9). The trial was funded in May 2021. The recruitment period will be from January 2022 to July 2022. The observation is scheduled to end by September 2022.ConclusionsIf the VOT shows superiority in observational compliance among patients and observers, the existing DOT policy will be replaced with VOT.Trial RegistrationThai Clinical Trials Registry TCTR20210624002; https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20210624002International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/38796

Video-Observed Therapy With a Notification System for Improving the Monitoring of Tuberculosis Treatment in Thailand: Usability Study.

BackgroundIn Thailand, the health care system has struggled to cope with COVID-19, resulting in directly observed therapy for tuberculosis being de-emphasized. A video-observed therapy (VOT) system, or more specifically, the Thai VOT (TH VOT) system, was developed to replace directly observed therapy. According to the pilot study, the system needed notifications to improve usability and user compliance. The updated version of the TH VOT system thus enabled LINE (Line Corporation) notifications.ObjectiveThis study aimed to reassess users’ compliance with and the usability of the updated TH VOT system.MethodsThis study was conducted in the Hat Yai and Mueang Songkhla districts in Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand, from September 18 to December 1, 2021. The system was used by not only patients with tuberculosis but also tuberculosis staff, who acted as observers in primary health care settings. Some of the observers used the simulated VOT system instead of the actual system due to the lack of participating patients in their jurisdiction. After 30 days of using the system, VOT session records were analyzed to determine the compliance of the patients and observers. The User Experience Questionnaire was administered to reassess the usability of the system and compare the ratings of the participants with the general benchmark scores of the User Experience Questionnaire. The results were summarized to reveal the degree of user compliance and usability in the following three groups: the patients, actual VOT observers, and simulated VOT observers.ResultsOf the 19 observers, 10 used the actual VOT system, and the remaining 9 used the simulated VOT system; there were also 10 patients with tuberculosis. The patients, actual VOT observers, and simulated VOT observers exhibited about 70%, 65%, and 50% compliance, respectively, in terms of following the standard operating procedures every day. The scores of all groups on all dimensions were well above the average scores. There was no significant difference in any of the dimensional scores among the three groups.ConclusionsThe updated version of the TH VOT system was deemed usable by both the patients and the health care staff. Compliance with the use of the system was high among the patients but moderate among the observers.

Carbon and Trace Element Compositions of Total Suspended Particles (TSP) and Nanoparticles (PM0.1) in Ambient Air of Southern Thailand and Characterization of Their Sources

The concentration of total suspended particles (TSP) and nanoparticles (PM0.1) over Hat Yai city, Songkhla province, southern Thailand was measured in 2019. Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were evaluated by carbon aerosol analyzer (IMPROVE-TOR) method. Thirteen trace elements including Al, Ba, K, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Ti, Pb, and Zn were evaluated by ICP-OES. Annual average TSP and PM0.1 mass concentrations were determined to be 58.3 ± 7.8 and 10.4 ± 1.2 µg/m3, respectively. The highest levels of PM occurred in the wet season with the corresponding values for the dry seasons being lower. The averaged OC/EC ratio ranged from 3.8–4.2 (TSP) and 2.5–2.7 (PM0.1). The char to soot ratios were constantly less than 1.0 for both TSP and PM0.1, indicating that land transportation is the main emission source. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that road transportation, industry, and biomass burning are the key sources of these particles. However, PM arising from Indonesian peatland fires causes an increase in the carbon and trace element concentrations in southern Thailand. The findings make useful information for air quality management and strategies for controlling this problem, based on a source apportionment analysis.

Volatile and non‐volatile compound profiles of commercial sweet pickled mango and its correlation with consumer preference

SummarySweet pickled mango named Ma‐Muang Bao Chae‐Im is a traditional preserved mango from Hat Yai, Thailand. This study investigated (I) volatile and non‐volatile compound profiles of commercial Ma‐Muang Bao Chae‐Im and (II) their relationship to consumer preference. Untargeted metabolomics profiling was performed by gas chromatography‐mass quadrupole‐time of flight analysis. There were 117 volatile and 44 non‐volatile compounds annotated in six commercial brands of Ma‐Muang Bao Chae‐Im. Furthermore, 46 volatile and 19 non‐volatile compounds’ discriminant markers were found by Partial least square discriminant analysis. Among those markers, sorbic and benzoic acid were observed in several brands; moreover, the combination of both compounds altered the volatile profile, especially the ester group. Partial least square regression revealed that overall consumer liking is correlated to 1‐heptanol; 1‐octanol; acetoin; acetic acid, 2‐phenylethyl ester; D‐manitol; terpenes and terpenoids, while firmness to sucrose and L‐(‐)‐sorbofuranose. On the other hand, most ester compounds were not related to consumer preference.

Factors related to the organization loyalty of private school teachers in Hat Yai, Songkhla

Factors related to the organization loyalty of private school teachers in Hat Yai, Songkhla

The identity of Over Sea s Chinese in Hat Yai, Thailand

The positioning of an individual s own identity is ambiguous, but if it is put into a group, it will explore and locate its own identity attributes, and finally, through the most basic national identity, cultural identity, etc, the identity of their own identity attributes is formed. Due to the historical environment, geographical conditions and background factors of transportation, Southeast Asia is the earliest area for overseas Chinese in China, and it is also the most widely distributed area for overseas Chinese. Among them, Thailand has unique research value due to its special historical background that it was not colonized by the West. Hat Yai in Songkhla Province in southern Thailand is the transportation center and economic hub of the 14 provinces in southern Thailand, and it is also one of the settlements of Thai-Chinese. Most of the ancestral places of these Chinese are from southern Fujian, and Guangdong and Guangxi regions. Most of them are Hakka people, but Chaozhou people come to the fore. Although the millions of overseas Chinese living in Thailand have long been integrated into the mainstream of its economy, politics and culture, and their own language, writing and nationality have all changed, the Chinese in Hat Yai are still sticking to their Chinese traditional cultural practices and beliefs.