UTILIZING SCHOOL BOTANICAL GARDEN FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION: A CASE STUDY OF RAJAPRAJANUGROH 42 SCHOOL, SATUN PROVINCE, THAILAND

Abstract

This research article aimed to drive the utilization of the school botanical garden for community health promotion. The study was conducted at Rajaprajanugroh 42 School, Satun Province, during November 2023 to December 2024. The research adopted an action research approach consisting of four key steps: Planning, Action, Observation, and Reflection. The findings revealed that the school botanical garden was arguably effective in promoting community health and wellness. The herbal plant Plai (Zingiber montanum) was selected for the project due to its ability to alleviate musculoskeletal pain, a common issue among older adults in the community. A group of 12 students and 2 teachers from the school’s Thai traditional massage for health club were trained in the formula and production method of the herbal heat patch for muscle pain relief. This formula and production process was subsequently transferred, by the school, to 14 village health volunteers in Ketri Subdistrict where the school is located. This enabled the village health volunteers to use the knowledge and innovation to communicate health promotion to the elderly. A survey of 103 elderly adults revealed a very high level of satisfaction with the Plai extract patches, with an average satisfaction score of 4.32 out of 5.00.