NUTRITIONAL STATUS, NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS AMONG INDIGENOUS URAK LAWOI AND NON-INDIGENOUS RESIDENTS OF LIPE ISLAND, SATUN PROVINCE

Abstract

Lipe Island is a popular tourism destination in Satun Province, Thailand, and is home to indigenous Urak Lawoi people who traditionally lived on subsistence fishery. The development of tourism on Lipe Island introduces migration by non-indigenous people from the mainland to the Island for tourism-sector jobs, potentially influencing dietary behaviors, nutritional status, non-communicable diseases, and alcohol and tobacco use among the locals. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of nutritional status among indigenous Urak Lawoi and non-indigenous residents of Lipe Island, Satun Province. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study using convenience sampling in January 2023. Participants included adult residents of Lipe Island identified by the village health volunteers. We collected data using face-to-face interviews and analyzed the data using descriptive statistics. A total of 155 residents of Lipe Island participated in our study (n=155 residents), approximately 74% of whom reported speaking Lawoi Language at home and were considered as Urak Lawoi in our study. Urak Lawoi participants had a significantly higher prevalence of being overweight compared to participants of other ethnicities (31% vs. 18%; Adjusted OR = 3.10; 95% CI = 1.02, 9.40). Other differences were not statistically significant. However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the other ethnicities was also higher than the overall level for Thailand. The reasons for this higher prevalence are unknown and should be further investigated. Limitations such as the study design, potential selection bias, and limited generalizability should be considered as caveats in the interpretation of the study findings.