Assessing the operational effectiveness of village health volunteers in Thailand: A structural equation modeling analysis
Issued Date
2025-12-30
Resource Type
eISSN
22286497
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105029597848
Journal Title
Health Promotion Perspectives
Volume
15
Issue
4
Start Page
360
End Page
369
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Health Promotion Perspectives Vol.15 No.4 (2025) , 360-369
Suggested Citation
Ounprasertsuk J., Wannapaschaiyong P., Tipwong A. Assessing the operational effectiveness of village health volunteers in Thailand: A structural equation modeling analysis. Health Promotion Perspectives Vol.15 No.4 (2025) , 360-369. 369. doi:10.34172/hpp.025.44378 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/115090
Title
Assessing the operational effectiveness of village health volunteers in Thailand: A structural equation modeling analysis
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Abstract
Background: Village health volunteers (VHVs) play an essential role in Thailand’s primary healthcare system by promoting health, preventing diseases, and ensuring community wellbeing. However, their operational effectiveness is influenced by several key factors, including transformational leadership, employee commitment, and job satisfaction. This study investigates these relationships and their implications for sustainable community health systems. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was utilized, combining quantitative data from 280 VHVs across Thailand’s lower central region with qualitative insights gained from focus group discussions (FGDs). Structural Equation Modeling was employed to evaluate the relationships among transformationalleadership, employeecommitment, jobsatisfaction, andoperational effectiveness. Results: The findings reveal that transformational leadership significantly predicted employee commitment (β= 0.80, P< 0.001) and job satisfaction (β = 0.65, P< 0.001). Operational effectiveness was significantly predicted by employee commitment (β= 0.49, P< 0.001), transformational leadership (β = 0.26, P < 0.001), and job satisfaction (β= 0.13, P = 0.04). Together, these variables explained 68.0% of the variance in operational effectiveness. A new model termed T-E-J Performance (where T =Transformational Leadership, E = Employee Commitment, and J = Job Satisfaction) has been developed to guide strategic improvements. Conclusion: To sustain effective community health programs, it is vital to enhance leadership capabilities, improve job satisfaction, and foster commitment among VHVs. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers to create leadership training programs, enhance incentives, and implement strategies for workforce retention. Strengthening VHV systems can significantly contribute to sustainable healthcare delivery and health equity in Thailand.