Effects of Drug and Health Product Literacy and Behavior Development Program in Bannonghin Community, Mueang-Mahasarakham District via the Network of Home, Temple, School, and Hospital

Abstract

Background:  Most Thai People are devoid a health awareness, therefore, expanding people's capacity to have literacy and correctly consumption behaviour on drug and health products is essential.

Objectives: To carried out the effects of a developing drug and health product literacy and behavior program in Nonghin community by using a network of home, temple, school and hospital.

Methods: This study was a participatory action research approach that studied from October 2019 to December 2020. The target sample was 180 people who lived in the Nonghin community, Khokkor district, Mueang, Mahasarakham province. Literacy and behaviour of target samples were collected by using questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, Paired-t-test, McNemar’s chi-squraed test, pearson product-moment correlation, and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze data.

Results: It reveals that the developing drug and health product literacy and behavior program yield the literacy and behaviour of home, temple, school, and hospital network score increased significantly (p<0.05). The sample group had drug and health product literacy at the “approve” level. Noticeably, the drug literacy score (3.93) was significantly that higher (p<0.05) than the other health product score (food 3.89, cosmetic 3.72). furthermore, the sample group had a food consumption behaviour score at the “approve” level (4.03, p<0.05). Results of correlation between health products (food and cosmetic) literacy and behaviour found a significant positive relationship with small correlation (r =0.30, 0.15, p<0.05) after the sample group attended the developed program. Results of stepwise multiple regression analyses of the pre-score shows that overall factors (sex, age, education, and occupation) were associated with drugs literacy and the food consumption behaviour statistically significant by r=0.11; F(4,175)=5.57; and p<0.05, and r=0.06; F(4,175)=2.67; and p<0.05 respectively.

Conclusions: Integrating the network in community that consists of home, temple, school, and hospital for development program might promote sustainability of improving drug and health product literacy. This program could also strengthen community to protect themselves from fraud health products, and lead to decreased inappropriate the use of drug and health products.