BackgroundAlcohol use impacts several dimensions, including physical health, mental health, families, and social interactions. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and to determine the factors associated with alcohol use among Akha and Lahu hill tribe youths in Chiang Rai, Thailand.MethodsAn analytic cross-sectional design was applied to obtain key data on these associations. The study sample was Akha and Lahu hill tribe youths aged 15-24 years who lived in 30 selected hill tribe villages. A questionnaire was developed from an in-depth interview and group discussion and tested for validation and reliability before use. Descriptive statistics were used to demonstrate the general characteristics, and Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to detect associations between variables at α=0.05.ResultsA total of 737 subjects were recruited into the study, of whom 50.0% were Lahu. The average age was 17.9 years, 80.7% were single, 71.1% were Christian, 65.9% graduated secondary school, and 65.7% had their major source of income from their parents. Overall, 17.3% smoked and 45.0% drank alcohol. Among the drinkers, 79.8% drank beer, 61.5% started drinking at an age of 15-19 years, 86.8% had drank for < 5 years, 42.5% were persuaded to drink by their peers, 20.2% suffered an accident after alcohol use, and 17.2% had experienced unsafe sex after drinking alcohol. In the multiple logistic regression, six variables were associated with alcohol use among the Akha and Lahu youths. Males had greater odds of alcohol use than females (ORadj = 3.50, 95% CI = 2.24-5.47). Buddhists had greater odds of alcohol use than Christians (ORadj = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.17-3.04). Participants who were unemployed, employed, and in other categories of occupation had greater odds of alcohol use than those who were students (ORadj = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.23-3.92; ORadj = 6.89, 95% CI = 3.38-13.89; and ORadj = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.01-8.59, respectively). Participants whose fathers were daily wage workers had greater odds of alcohol use (ORadj = 2.89; 95% CI = 1.23-6.79) than those whose parents worked in agriculture, and those whose fathers used alcohol had greater odds of alcohol use than those whose fathers did not use alcohol (ORadj = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.40-3.35). Finally, those who had 6-10 and ≥ 11 close friends living in the same village who used alcohol had greater odds of alcohol use (ORadj = 8.51, 95% CI = 3.10-23.3; and ORadj = 3.84, 95% CI = 1.15-12.77, respectively).ConclusionTo reduce the initiation of alcohol use among Akha and Lahu youths, public health intervention programs should focus on males who are not attending school and should be implemented for both their family members and peers.

Background Depression is globally recognized as a major mental health problem in all age categories, particularly among those living in poor economic conditions and with low levels of education, including the hill tribe people in northern Thailand. Methods This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression and determine the factors associated with depression in the hill tribe population aged 40 and over in northern Thailand. Hill tribe people who lived in the selected villages and met the inclusion criteria were invited to participate in the study. A validated questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used for data collection. An interview was conducted in a private and confidential room in the selected villages between January and April 2019. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with depression at a significance level of α = 0.05. Results A total of 601 participants were recruited into the study. More than half (64.23%) were women, 46.76% were Akha, 61.90% were aged 40–59 years, and 76.37% were married. Half of the participants were Christian (57.07%) and had no monthly income (51.25%), and 85% were illiterate. The overall prevalence of depression was 39.10%: 75.74% had mild depression, 17.88% had moderate depression, and 6.38% had severe depression. In the multivariate model, three variables were found to be associated with depression: being female, having a history of substance abuse, and experiencing stress six months prior. Compared to men, women were 2.09 times (95% CI 1.30–3.35) more likely to have depression. Those who had a history of substance abuse were more likely to have depression than those who did not have a history of substance abuse (AOR = 1.97; 95% CI 1.25–3.10). Those who had a history of stress in the prior 6 months were more likely to have depression than those who did not (AOR = 6.43; 95% CI 4.20–9.85). Conclusion Public health screening programs to identify depression in the hill tribe population are urgently needed, particularly for women, those who have abused psychoactive substances, and those who have experienced stress.

Background Methamphetamine (MA) is a commonly used substance among youths, particularly those who are living in poor economic conditions with low levels of education and who have had bad childhood experiences. The Akha and Lahu hill tribe youths living on the Thailand-Myanmar-Laos border are identified as the group most vulnerable to MA use in Thailand. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of MA use and determine its associations with childhood experiences among Akha and Lahu youths aged 15-24 years in northern Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed. Validated and sealed questionnaires were used to gather information from participants after obtaining the informed consent form. Questionnaires were completed by participants and their parents at home. Logistic regression was used to identify the associations between variables at the α = 0.05 level. Results A total of 710 participants participated in the study: 54.2% were Akha, 52.5% were females, 50.6% were aged 15-17 years, and 11.4% did not have Thai identification card (ID) cards. The overall prevalence of MA use at least once among Akha and Lahu youths was 14.5%. After controlling for all potential confounding factors, 8 variables were found to be associated with MA use. Males had a greater chance of MA use than females (AOR = 4.75; 95% CI = 2.27-9.95). Participants aged 21-24 years had a greater chance of MA use than those aged 15-17 years (AOR = 2.51; 95% CI = 1.11-5.71). Those who had a family member who used MA had a greater chance of MA use than those who did not (AOR = 5.04; 95% CI =

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to understand the pattern and perception of alcohol drinking among the Lahu people in northern Thailand. Design/methodology/approach-A qualitative method was used to elicit information on the patterns and perceptions of alcohol drinking amongst the Lahu tribespeople. Question guidelines had been developed from literature reviews and approved by three experts in the field of public health and alcohol studies. A total of 21 participants of different ages and sexes from 3 separate Lahu villages were invited to provide information. All interviews were taped and transcribed before analysis. A content analysis was used. Findings-Lahu people begin alcohol consumption at an average of 12 years, with males usually beginning before females of the same age. Consuming alcohol is perceived to be a sign of adulthood and is also used as a means of gaining social acceptance from others in the community. Alcohol is consumed throughout the year with young and old, male and females, describing varied reasons for drinking. Income, parental behavior,

In developing countries family caregivers are an important community-based resource who provide care for physically disabled adults. Substantial caregiving commitment is known to adversely affect caregiver health and thereby their capacity to provide ongoing care. This systematic review focused on support interventions for caregivers using Thailand as an example. From 1964 to 2011 international and Thai electronic databases and relevant grey literature were searched. Six English papers and 34 Thai papers published between 1990 and 2010 were found. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool was modified to appraise methodological quality. All nurse-led interventions mainly focused on improving caregiving capacity; nearly half considered caregiver health. Only 15 interventions were community-based. Despite variable research quality all studies showed benefits for caregivers, care recipients, and healthcare services. In developing countries without healthy caregivers physically disabled adults would not receive care. There is an urgent need for further investment in community-based research to develop effective interventions designed to promote caregiver health and help them maintain their role.