Abstract
This participatory action research aimed to: (1) enhance the efficiency of the
community-led health impact surveillance system operating on the C-site digital
platform; 2) expand the use of the C-site platform and citizen science for communityled health and environmental impact surveillance in Chaloem Prakiat and Thung Chang
districts, Nan province; 3) develop two prototype curricula for citizen scientists to
monitor and communicate health and environment changes—a school-based
curriculum and an open-access online course on the ALTV (Active Learning Television)
platform; 4) establish risk communication guidelines for health impacts associated with
environmental pollution, 5) expand the network of active citizen and communities
engaged in health impact surveillance. The study sample consisted of teachers and
students from 25 schools--12 in Chaloem Phrakiat and 13 in Thung Chang. Both
qualitative and quantitative methods were employed for data collection.
The C-site platform underwent significant improvements in four keys area: 1)
functionality and user accessibility, with upgrades including the integration of a Line
Official Account to enhance user experience; improved digital survey forms and maps
with added features such as Exif metadata extraction for geolocation and crowdsource
verification for citizen water quality monitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates; single
sign-on (SSO) functionality for seamless access across the microsite and application;
support for uploading and downloading raw data files; added dashboard visualization
divided into four sections; a real-time incident reporting and alert response system
with status tracking and direct contact with officials; improved knowledge management
and support information system; and added feedback channels to gather user input
and suggestions; 2) system architecture and design, improved through data
visualization features and clearer data governance protocols; 3) system performance,
with increased system stability and processing speedม including automatically
optimization of uploaded files through size reduction and real-time alerts to users
when file formats are incompatible; and 4) privacy and data protection, strengthened
through the implementation of a privacy policy aligned with the Personal Data
Protection Act (PDPA).
To promote citizen science, a three-day training workshop on health and
environmental surveillance was conducted for teachers and students from 16 schools
with a total of 62 participants. Overall satisfaction with the training was high (x̄= 4.27,
S.D. = 0.89), with the highest satisfaction in the training process, followed by usefulness
and applicability, learning stations, instructors, and course content, respectively.
Among 46 student participants, post-training knowledge scores were significantly higher
than pre-training scores (p < .05). Following the training, approximately 2,800 citizen generated surveillance reports were submitted, covering assessment of soil, water, and
air quality, indicators of physical and mental health, and pinned news posts used to
communicate community surveillance efforts.
Additionally, a prototype school-based curriculum on citizen science for health
and environment surveillance was developed in collaboration with the research team
and the Nan Primary Educational Service Area Office 2 and piloted in nine schools. An
open-access online course was also developed with the research teams for launch via
the ALTV platform by the ThaiPBS.
In terms of public engagement, all 25 schools implemented citizen science
projects and presented their work at the “1st Citizen Science Expo : Active Learning for
Wellness,” co-organized by 16 partner organizations. A total of 392 participants
registered for the event, with additional participants joining via Facebook Live streamed
by ThaiPBS. Among 139 respondents, overall satisfaction with the CitSci Expo was very
high (x̄ = 4.52 , S.D. = 0.71), with particularly high ratings for event management,
activities, and the perceived usefulness of knowledge gained.
