Development of Promoting Self-Care Behaviors Model for Nutrition Health among Pregnant Women with Iron Deficiency Anemia at Uttaradit Province.

Abstract

The purpose of this research were to 1) Study the relationship between health knowledge and perception and the food and drug consumption behavior of pregnant women with anemia.  2)  Develop a model to promote self-care behavior in food consumption, and  3)  Evaluate the model of promoting self-care behavior in food consumption. Samples that were used in the 3 Phases studied included phase 1 : 136 Pregnant women. Phase 2 : 20 Health Workers. Phase 3 30 Pregnant women. Research by purposive sampling using tools included knowledge questionnaires, perception and medication consumption behavior of pregnant women with anemia and a model to promote self-care behaviors in food consumption. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and Paired Sample t-test  were used to analyze data. The results showed that 60.2% of pregnant women had a moderate level of knowledge . Their perception of the benefits was at a very good level (58.8%), and their self-care behavior was at a good level (75.7%). Factors related to self-care behavior in food consumption included the perception of the benefits of anemia prevention (r = .213). and were able to predict self-care behavior regarding food consumption by 5.2%. After the implementation of the model, the mean scores of knowledge, food consumption behavior and hematocrit values among pregnant women increased significantly at .05.  Therefore, this model of promoting self-care behaviors in food consumption can increased hematocrit values of pregnant women with anemia. Moreover,  it can be adopted and applied to pregnant women at risk of other pregnancies.