June 12, 2009
Bangkok (ASTV Manager Online) – 70 percent of Thai people were afraid of the influenza (H1N1) 2009 whereas 30 percent felt nothing about the swine flu, according to a poll.
Huachiew University surveyed 1,000 people in Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
36 percent were men while 64 percent were women. 35.8 percent were respondents aged 11-20 years whereas 30.3 percent aged 21-30 years.
86.6 percent got information about the influenza 2009 from television which most influenced people’s access to information.
67.4 percent were fairly afraid of the disease while 30 percent felt nothing. Only 1.7 percent were fearful so much that they were under stress.
64.5 percent knew how to prevent themselves from such disease whereas 18.9 percent did not and 16.6 percent were uncertain about how to prevent themselves from the illness.
As for preventive methods, 49.4 percent stayed away from people who caught cold and 44.4 avoided being in crowded community.
20 percent did not travel abroad and 16.2 percent ate pork from time to time. 13.3 percent stopped eating pork and 3.7 percent wore masks.
One in five Thais still misunderstood about how to be safe from the sickness. They thought that eating no pork or eating pork occasionally would prevent them from the disease.
In fact, it is recommended that people should keep themselves healthy, eat hot food, use serving spoon, wash their hands and wear the mask when being at disease risk.
