ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: The Lua ethnic community in northern Thailand maintains distinctive spiritual beliefs, traditional healing practices, and close interactions with domestic animals, wildlife, and the environment. These culturally embedded practices may influence healthcare-seeking behaviors and create potential pathways for zoonotic exposure. This study aimed to identify spiritual beliefs, traditional healing practices, and human–animal–environment interactions that influence healthcare practices, perceived zoonotic risks, and potential exposure pathways among the Lua community in Thung Chang District, Nan Province, Thailand, within a One Health framework.

Materials and Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted from October to December 2022 in a Lua community in Thung Chang District. Twenty-six respondents, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling, participated in three focus group discussions involving 20 community members and six key informant interviews. Data were collected in Thai and the Northern Thai dialect using audio-recorded interviews and field notes. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, and qualitative content analysis was performed using NVivo 12.0. Codes were iteratively organized into categories and themes through multidisciplinary review and consensus. Methodological triangulation and community member checking were used to strengthen the credibility of the findings.

Results: Spiritual beliefs were closely interconnected with ancestral, household, forest, field, and land spirits and continued to influence traditional healing and healthcare-seeking practices. Respondents generally used modern healthcare services but also consulted shamans and performed healing rituals when illnesses were perceived as spiritually caused or when recovery was delayed. Reported potential zoonotic exposure pathways included ritual slaughter and handling of domestic animals, direct contact with animal blood during house-spirit ceremonies, ritual use of dogs selected on the advice of the “Kha Jam,” hunting and butchering wildlife without personal protective equipment, and consumption of raw or undercooked domestic animal and wildlife products. These findings represent reported practices and biologically plausible exposure pathways; no clinical, serological, or pathogen testing was conducted.

Conclusion: In the studied Lua community, cultural traditions demonstrated complex interconnections among spiritual beliefs, healthcare practices, animal contact, and environmental interactions. Culturally appropriate health education, community engagement, and One Health approaches, proposed here as implications of the findings rather than evaluated interventions, may help reduce potential zoonotic exposure while respecting local beliefs and traditional practices.

Keywords: ethnomedicine, Lua, One Health, qualitative research, traditional healing, wildlife, zoonotic exposure, zoonotic risk.