Health Behaviors of Patients with Diabetes and Hypertension: A Case Study of Ban Nam Khong Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital, Mueang Phrae District, Phrae Province

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to investigate health behaviors and their levels among patients with diabetes and hypertension in four areas: dietary consumption, exercise, emotional management, and medication adherence. The sample consisted of two groups:  57 patients providing quantitative data, selected through simple random sampling, and 10 patients providing qualitative data. Research instruments included a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide. The content validity of both instruments by using item objective congruence (IOC) was 0.60 – 1.00, and the overall questionnaire reliability by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.78. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

The study showed that the majority of patients were female (59.6%), married (66.1%), with an average age of 64.96 years, and primary education (50%). The average monthly income was 3,341.11 THB, and 69.1% had comorbidities. The most common health behaviors included eating food prepared by themselves or family members (61.4%), exercising 3-5 times per week (31.6%), prioritizing tasks (54.6%), and taking medication as prescribed (94.7%). The least practiced behaviors were smoking (96.2%), monitoring for abnormal symptoms during exercise (58.2%), using religious teachings to reduce stress (28.1%), and adjusting medication dosage themselves (89.1%). Overall, patients exhibited moderate health behaviors, with good emotional management and medication adherence, moderate dietary consumption, and poor exercise habits. Despite good medication adherence, qualitative data revealed issues such as purchasing medication from online advertisements, forgetting to take medication after meals, incorrect timing of medication intake, and errors in medication preparation. Recommendations include continuous programs to enhance skills in medication adherence, disease-specific dietary habits, and appropriate exercise for patients.