Journal of Health Sciences and Wellness

Social Fitness Across Life Stages: A Key to Mental Health and Wellbeing

2024-09-20T15:36:12+07:00

Social fitness, the ability to cultivate and maintain meaningful social connections across various life stages, is pivotal in promoting mental health and overall well-being. This concept encompasses key components, including social connections and support networks, social skills and competence, social engagement and inclusion, and social resilience and satisfaction, which play integral roles in shaping individuals’ mental health trajectories across different life stages. This article aims to explore the profound impact of social fitness on mental health and well-being across various life stages. Moreover, it provides insights into understanding the role of social fitness in mental health through its multifaceted components. Social connections and support networks offer emotional support and a sense of belonging that are vital for coping with stress and adversity across all ages. Developing social skills and competence from childhood enables effective communication and relationship-building skills, contributing to better mental health outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Social engagement and inclusion foster community integration and reduce feelings of isolation, enhancing psychological resilience and overall life satisfaction. Recognizing the diversity of populations and contextual variables is essential for understanding how social fitness influences mental well-being, guiding effective interventions and policies that enhance social connectivity and satisfaction, thereby contributing to healthier and more resilient societies.

The Incidence and Classification of Adverse Drug Reactions at Bangrak STIs Center

2025-01-03T13:05:26+07:00

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can occur following the use of medications for treatment, diagnosis, and disease prevention. In general, ADRs are divided into two types including side effect/Type A ADR and drug allergy/Type B ADR. This research is a retrospective descriptive research aimed to determine the incidence, frequency, and details of adverse drug reactions. Data was collected from May 2018 to December 2022 from the adverse drug reactions database of the Pharmacy Department at Bangrak STIs Center, a clinic providing outpatient services specifically for sexually transmitted diseases and dermatological conditions. The data collection tool used in this study was an adverse drug reaction recording form. The statistics used to analyze the data was descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

The study found that out of 21,794 patients who received medication, 46 were new patients who experienced ADRs, an incidence rate of 0.21%. Most new patients who experienced ADRs were male (65.22%). The most common type of ADR was drug allergy/Type B ADR (70.83%). The drug class causing the most ADRs was Infections (65.31%), with doxycycline being the most common (36.73%). The most frequent ADRs involved the skin and subcutaneous tissue (53.23%). According to Naranjo's algorithm, the probability of ADRs was rated as probable (62.50%). Consequently, this research can create knowledge that supports the evaluation of the causality of ADRs associated with suspected medications used in the treatment of sexually transmitted infections and skin diseases. It also supports the surveillance and monitoring of ADRs among patients receiving diagnosis and treatment for these conditions.

Effects of Health Care Program for Older Adults in Community on Knowledge, Attitude, and Care Skills of School-aged Children Taking Care of Older Adults

2024-09-30T15:36:07+07:00

Fostering positive intergenerational relationships between older adults and school-aged children is necessary for effective elderly care in the community. This study highlights the importance of developing a health care program aimed at enhancing children's knowledge, attitudes, and caregiving skills in supporting older adults. This quasi-experimental research was conducted to test the effects of the health care program for older adults in community programs on the knowledge, attitudes, and care skills of school- aged children taking care of older adults. A sample of 60 forth-sixth grade students of Baan Sang- Kaew primary school, Amphoe Phibun Mangsahan, Ubon Ratchathani province were recruited and randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. The research instruments consisted of 1) knowledge, attitude and care skills for the elderly scale and 2) the health care program for older adults in a community program. The content validity of the instruments was reviewed by three experts. The reliability of the knowledge, attitudes, and care skills scores were 0.72, 0.71, and 0.77, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Dependent t-test, and Independent t-test, both paired and independent. The result demonstrated that the mean scores of knowledge and care skills of the experimental group were statistically significant higher than the control groups (p< .05). Obviously, the attitude of the experimental group was no statistically significantly higher than the control group. As a result, entering the health care program for the elderly in the community program among school-aged children taking care of older adults can promote knowledge, attitude and care skills. Therefore, it is recommended that personnel undertake this program to improve knowledge of school-aged children and foster older adults at home.

Outcomes of Pharmaceutical Care Development in a Tuberculosis Outpatient Clinic at Vajira Hospital

2024-10-29T13:42:33+07:00

Pharmaceutical care for tuberculosis (TB) patients aims to enhance clinical decision support systems and reduce medication prescribing errors. This retrospective descriptive study was conducted to examine medication errors, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and patient waiting times for receiving medications. The study population included TB patients who received care between January 2 and September 27, 2022 (Phase 1: traditional pharmaceutical care), and between January 2 and December 28, 2023 (Phase 2: enhanced pharmaceutical care). Data were collected using a TB pharmaceutical care documentation form adapted from the Thai national TB control guidelines. The collected data included patient demographics, clinical information, prescription data, and waiting times for medication dispensing. In Phase 1, 309 TB patients were included. The analysis identified two predominant types of prescribing errors: inadequate drug quantity (67.43%) and improper dosage prescriptions (18.81%). ADRs were reported as minor in 12.94% of patients and major in 14.89%. In Phase 2, 342 TB patients were included. During this phase, inadequate drug quantity errors were reported at the level of 50.55%, while improper dosage prescriptions were at 4.40%. ADRs were reported in 20.76% of patients, including both minor and major reactions. The study concludes that enhanced pharmaceutical care tends to reduce prescribing errors and also improves the detection of ADRs. The clinical decision support system is adaptable to hospital settings; however, further improvements are recommended, particularly in the calculation of pill quantities, the development of medication order sets for patients with complications, and the application of inferential statistical methods in future studies.

ABO Antibody Titers in Healthy Individuals after Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccinatio

2024-09-10T13:35:24+07:00

ABO blood group antibodies (ABO antibodies) are of clinical importance which can cause red blood cell lysis in the blood circulation. Environmental factors such as lifestyle changes and vaccination may result in increased ABO antibody production. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate anti-A and anti-B titers using saline agglutination and indirect antiglobulin in 110 healthy individuals who received the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination. This descriptive cross-sectional study was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that blood type O had significantly higher anti-A and anti-B titers of both IgM and IgG types than the other blood types. The prevalence of high titers found that those with high IgM anti-A in the blood types O and B was at 30% and 8.6%, respectively. Those with high IgM anti-B in blood type O and A were 30% and 8%, respectively. No finding in blood type A and B had high IgG titers, but high IgG anti-A and anti-B titers were found in blood type O of 16% and 18%, respectively. In conclusion, the ABO antibody titers among healthy individuals after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine mostly displayed low titers. However, those with blood type O were more likely to have high ABO antibody titers. Thus, ABO antibody titers testing should be determined in blood type O, especially, platelet apheresis donors and pregnant women for preventing red blood cell lysis.

Adapting Existing Cooling Containers to Meet Cold Chain Requirements: Insights from Huachiew Chalermprakiet University COVID-19 Vaccination Center

2025-04-11T08:58:59+07:00

Subsequently, the global pandemic of COVID-19 broke out in 2019, and the COVID-19 vaccine had to be distributed urgently with slightly limited stability data and storage conditions. The cold chains for daily use of inactivated and non-replicating viral COVID-19 vaccines at the Huachiew Chalermprakiet University (HCU) Vaccination Center were developed and validated. The vaccine storage container was studied and validated using adapting existing cooling containers. Storage cold boxes made from plastic/foam with different dimensions for use with ice/ gel packs for the storage of COVID-19 vaccines were optimized for suitable conditions. For the results, it was found that plastic boxes for daily storage vaccine No. 1 (4,209 in3) and No. 2 (2,035 in3) with ice packs 5-6 kg and 2.5-3 kg, respectively, could maintain temperature between 2-8 °C for 8 hours. The prepared vaccine in pre-drawn syringes was stored in a foam box as in a temperature-controlled container No.3 (3,520 in3) with 4 kg of ice pack, which could maintain temperature at 4-6 °C for 7 hours. When using the foam boxes for transferring the pre-drawn vaccines to the vaccination station, it was found that temperature-controlled containers No. 4 (541 in3) and No. 5 (877 in3) with three different conditions of using cooling materials were able to store the pre-drawn vaccines with a temperature between 7-13 °C for 7 hours. All of the results in this study showed the appropriate temperature in vaccine storage containers that meet the cold chain requirement for storage of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Effects of Storage on Red Blood Cell Acidity, Hemolysis, Methemoglobin level and Osmotic Fragility

2025-01-13T10:56:17+07:00

Red blood cells play a crucial role in transporting oxygen to various tissues and organs of the body. During storage, changes occur within red blood cells. This experimental laboratory research aimed to study the acidity using a pH meter, hemolysis by measuring absorbance at 540 nm, methemoglobin level by measuring absorbance at 500 and 630 nm, and red blood cells fragility using the osmotic fragility test with CPDA-1 as anticoagulant. Samples were collected in CPDA-1 anticoagulant tubes from 30 healthy volunteers aged between 20 and 45 years, with no underlying health conditions. All samples were stored at 4 °C and analyzed on days 7, 14, and 21. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The results showed that on the 7th day, there was a decrease in acidity levels and a statistically significant increase in osmotic fragility on day 7 (p- value < 0.01). Additionally, free hemoglobin and methemoglobin levels showed statistically significant increases on day 14 with p-values of 0.02 and 0.0, respectively. In conclusion, red blood cells stored with CPDA-1 exhibit changes in acidity, hemolysis, methemoglobin levels, and osmotic fragility. These findings provide valuable supplementary information for consideration when selecting appropriate packed red blood cell for transfusion. Moreover, the study contributes to a better understanding of red blood cell membrane stability and oxidative damage during storage, which may be relevant for hematological research and the development of improved preservation techniques in clinical laboratory practice.

Factors Associated with Behaviors to Prevent and Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 among Storage and Distribution Employees at a Distribution Center

2024-09-11T16:55:58+07:00

Distribution center employees were another group at risk for COVID-19 infection, especially storage and distribution employees. As consumers are increasingly ordering products online, employees are being exposed to a large number of products from both domestic and international locations. This cross-sectional study aimed to study factors associate with prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 behaviors among storage and distribution employees at a distribution center. 130 employees participated in the study. The accidental sampling used in this research. The research instruments were the questionnaires about the knowledge of COVID-19 prevention, the attitudes toward COVID-19, the perceived severity of COVID-19, and the prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 behaviors which their reliabilities were 0.92, 068, 0.75 and 0.91 respectively. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and Spearman rank correlation coefficient.

The results indicated that 76.92% of the participants were females; the mean age was 25.63±3.64 years old, 86.15% had a high level of knowledge, 88.46% had a good level of attitude, 97.69% had a high level of perception disease severity, and 98.46% had a good level of behaviors. Behaviors to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 were significantly positively correlated with the age of work, the average monthly income and the perception disease severity of
the COVID-19 (r=0.39, p-value<0.01; r=0.55, p-value<0.01 and r=0.29, p-value<0.01, respectively). To promote prevention and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 behaviors among employee, agencies should regular surveillance, awareness and provide information about the COVID-19.

The Effects of Using Simulation-Based Learning on Problem-Solving Ability and Attitudes in Palliative Care of Nursing Student

2025-02-03T11:42:47+07:00

This quasi-experimental study with a single group pre- and post-test design investigated the effectiveness of learn using Simulation-Based Learning By comparing the ability to solve nursing problems. and attitudes in caring for palliative patients before and after learning using Simulation-Based Learning. The participants were 45 fourth-year nursing students enrolled in the Palliative Care Nursing Practicum course at North Bangkok University during the 2024 academic year. The research instrument comprised the Simulation-Based Learning plan developed by the researchers, a problem-solving skills assessment tool, and a palliative care attitude questionnaire. The content validity of the questionnaire was found to be .96, .85 and .89, respectively. The interrater reliability test using Cohen's Kappa showed values of .81, .86, and .95, respectively, indicating a high level of agreement among the raters. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the paired samples t-test. Results showed that after the Simulation-Based Learning intervention, students demonstrated significantly higher mean scores in both problem-solving skills and positive attitudes toward palliative care (t = -17.59, -12.10, p < 0.01). These findings support the integration of Simulation-Based Learning into nursing education to enhance students’ decision-making and critical thinking skills. Simulation is a powerful tool for developing clinical skills, particularly in decision-making and problem-solving in palliative care nursing. It also fosters a positive attitude and enhances students' confidence in communicating with patients and their families, which is crucial for delivering effective palliative care that addresses the psychological and emotional needs of patients in the terminal stage of life.

Total Phenolic and Flavonoid compounds of Chinese herbs extracts: Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, and Coptis chinensis Franch

2025-04-03T09:41:57+07:00

The primary objective of this research was to quantify the total phenolic and flavonoid compounds in three types of Chinese herb extracts using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the Aluminum Nitrate colorimetric method, respectively. The herbs analyzed were Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, and Coptis chinensis Franch, all extracted with 95% methanol. These herbs are components of traditional Chinese medicine recipes used for the treatment of stomach and spleen disorders. The study found that the total phenolic compounds in Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, and Coptis chinensis Franch were 1.95±0.48, 3.40±0.74, and 12.18±2.15 mg GAE/g, respectively. The flavonoid compounds in Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC., Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz, and Coptis chinensis Franch were 8.45±1.25, 9.05±0.56, and 15.24±1.77 mg QE/g, respectively. The results indicated that Coptis chinensis Franch extract showed the highest levels of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds, while Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. extract showed the lowest. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between Coptis chinensis Franch and both Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC. and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz in terms of both total phenolic and flavonoid compounds. To develop herbal extracts for medicinal use, further studies are needed on the mechanisms of action and the safety of using these herbal medicines in both in-vitro and in animal trials.

Acute Effects of Three Stretching Techniques on Vertical Jumping and Dorsiflexion Range of Motion in Healthy Individual with Gastrocnemius Muscle Tightness

2025-03-11T09:25:17+07:00

This study utilized a completely randomized block design to investigate the immediate effects of different types of muscle stretching on jumping performance in Huachiew Chalermprakiet University volunteers with gastrocnemius muscle tightness who exhibited an ankle dorsiflexion angle of less than 12 degrees. Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to static stretching, dynamic stretching and hold-relax stretching techniques, with rest intervals between sessions ranging from 24 to 48 hours. Before and immediately following each stretching session, jumping performance, passive dorsiflexion range of motion and lunge range of motion were assessed. The reliability of repeated measurements by a single assessor, determined by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), was 0.88, 0.90, and 0.96, respectively. The findings indicated that all three stretching techniques significantly increased passive dorsiflexion range of motion, lunge range of motion, as well as vertical jump height immediately after stretching (p < .001). Furthermore, dynamic stretching and hold-relax stretching yielded significantly greater improvements in passive ankle dorsiflexion angle compared to static stretching (p < .05). However, no statistically significant differences were found among the three techniques in terms of enhancing jump performance. In summary, to enhance jump performance in individuals with tight calf muscles, any of the following stretching methods can be effectively applied: static stretching, dynamic stretching, and the hold-relax technique.

Effect of Online and Offline Self-Management Programs on Blood Pressure Control Among Ordinary Parliamentary Officials of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives with Uncontrolled Hypertension

2025-02-26T10:56:02+07:00

Uncontrolled hypertension increases the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and premature death. A large number of Thai ordinary parliamentary officials suffer from uncontrolled hypertension, often due to a lack of self-awareness and inconsistent health behaviors for hypertension control. Therefore, self-management is needed to help control hypertension. This quasi-experimental study aimed to compare blood pressure levels between civil servants who received online and offline self-management programs. The sample consisted of 50 Thai ordinary parliamentary officials, divided into two groups: 25 who received the online program and 25 who received the offline program. The sample was selected based on inclusion criteria and random assignment to the groups. The research instruments included online and offline self-management programs and a blood pressure monitor. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and t-tests.

The results of the study indicated that, after completing the 12-week trial, the group receiving the online program showed a statistically significant difference in the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels compared to the group receiving the offline program, at the 0.05 significance level. Based on the results of this study, nurses can use the online program to promote healthy behaviors that help control hypertension and prevent complications.