Factors Influencing Self-Care Behavior among Hypertension Risk Group in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
Keywords:
Self-Care behavior, Hypertension risk group, Health belief model, Perceived self-efficacyAbstract
This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to 1) examine the levels of hypertension knowledge, health beliefs, and self-care behavior, and 2) identify the factors influencing self-care behavior among the hypertension risk group in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The sample comprised 209 individuals aged 35–59 years with high-normal blood pressure, selected by multistage random sampling. A four-section questionnaire assessed personal characteristics, hypertension knowledge, health beliefs (six Health Belief Model dimensions), and self-care behavior (five dimensions). Five experts checked content validity (IOC = 0.60–1.00). The knowledge scale's reliability, estimated with KR-20, was .740. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from .871 to .963 across the six health belief dimensions and was .895 for the self-care behavior scale. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple linear regression.
The research result revealed that most participants had high knowledge (59.81%); five health belief dimensions were high except perceived barriers, which were moderate; and overall self-care behavior was good (M = 3.29, SD = 0.45). After categorical variables were converted into dummy variables, the stepwise regression retained six predictors derived from five original variables, which together accounted for 48.82% of the variance in self-care behavior (Adjusted R² = .488, F = 34.073, p < .001). Perceived self-efficacy was the strongest predictor (β = .571), followed by trade/private business occupation, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, lower secondary education, and other occupations respectively. Public health units should therefore develop programs that build self-efficacy and emphasize the concrete benefits of prevention rather than its risks, giving particular attention to trade and private business groups, whose self-care scores were lower than those in agriculture. Since 51.18% of the variance remained unexplained, future research should examine additional factors such as social support, health literacy, and access to health services.
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