The Behaviors and Perceptions of Migrants on Environmental Sanitation in Chiengrai Province: A Questionnaire Study

Abstract

The aims of this study were to determine the behaviors and perceptions of migrants on environmental
sanitation in Chiengrai Province and to describe the general characteristics of migrants in Chiengrai
Province. This study was designed as analytical cross-sectional survey with 210 samples of migrants
living in four districts of Chiengrai Province. The questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection
with the assistance of a translator for each migrant language. The results indicated that the major
group of the migrant respondents in this province was Ahka (41%) followed by Burmese (24.5%).
The most common household size was four or less (67.9%) while 2.5% was equal to or higher than
ten persons per household. The main occupation was general employment or hire (36.2%) and the
minor occupation was work in the agricultural sector (28.6%). It was observed that the perception of
migrants on environmental sanitation was related to their education level. That means the higher
education group had positive perceptions regarding the necessity of proper environmental sanitation
conditions. It is recommended that programs to provide education, using both formal and informal
approaches, on the necessity of environmental sanitation be created. Behavior is one important factor
associated with perception and some general characteristics of the respondents. Thus, programs should
be established to provide knowledge of the importance of environmental sanitation conditions and
increase the awareness of environmental sanitation of the migrants.