Quality of life among humanitarian aid workers in Thai-Myanmar border

Background: Humanitarian aid workers (HAWs) are crucial frontline responders in helping the crisis-affected population. Since they are under constant pressure to perform effectively in an unstable environment, HAWs are always in need to be prepared both physically and mentally. Objectives: To determine the quality of life and its associated factors among humanitarian aid workers along the Thai- Myanmar border. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 424 HAWs, using multistage random sampling across 4 provinces along the Thai-Myanmar border with a structured questionnaire interview. The WHOQOL-BREF was used to measure quality of life (QOL). Descriptive statistics were used to describe participant characteristics and multiple logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the factors associated with the QOL of HAWs. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: More than half of the respondents (62.03%; 95% CI: 57.29% – 66.54%) had moderate to poor QOL. After controlling for covariates, the study observed that moderate to poor QOL was strongly associated with having acute illness within the past month (Adj. OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.04-5.96, P-value 0.041), severely dysfunctional family relationships (Adj. OR = 2.8, 95%CI: 1.16-7.21, P-value 0.008), a family monthly income of ≤ 10,000 THB (Adj. OR = 2.26, 95%CI: 1.34-3.81, P-value 0.002), and one or more chronic conditions (Adj. OR = 3.53, 95%CI: 1.64-7.56, P-value 0.001). Conclusion: More than half of humanitarian aid workers along the Thai-Myanmar border have a moderate to poor quality of life. Personal and health factors, as well as family relationships were found to be associated with a reduced QOL. Hence, periodic psychosocial support as well as health promotion, prevention, and interventions for humanitarian aid workers will enhance their QOL effectively.