The Effectiveness of a Health Literacy Enhancement Program on Food Consumption to Control Blood Pressure among Elderly with Uncontrolled Hypertension at Khao Hin Son Sub-District, Phanom Sarakham District, Chachoengsao Province

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research examined the effects of a health literacy program on food consumption to control blood pressure. The sample was elderly people with uncontrolled hypertension in Khao Hin Son sub-district, Phanom Sarakham district, Chachoengsao province. The sample comprised 68 participants, divided into an experimental group (34 participants) and a comparison group (34 participants). The experimental group participated in an 8-week intervention program. Data were collected through a questionnaire conducted during pre-and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the results of the program were compared using inferential statistics, the independent t-test for comparisons between groups, and the Paired Samples t-test for comparisons within groups. The significance level was set at α = 0.05.

The findings revealed that the experimental group had a mean health literacy score related to food consumption for blood pressure control that was 30.7 points higher than the pre-intervention score and 29.2 points higher than the comparison group. Additionally, the experimental group demonstrated a mean food consumption behavior score for blood pressure that was 11.5 points better than the pre-intervention score and 3.9 points better than the comparison group, with statistical significance (p<0.001). Blood pressure levels in the experimental group decreased by 2.7 mmHg compared to pre-intervention (p=0.034) and decreased by 4.7 mmHg compared to the comparison group (p=0.044). This program can be applied to target populations in similar contexts and can be integrated into the routine services of sub-district health promoting hospitals to enhance health literacy among target groups.