Effects of a Behavioral Development Program for Preventing Hypertension among High-risk Groups at Nang Rong District, Buriram Province

Abstract

The objectives of this quasi-experimental research were to compare perceived risk of hypertension and severity of hypertension, perceived benefits and barriers of hypertensive preventive behaviors, perceived self-efficacy in hypertensive preventive behaviors, hypertensive preventive behaviors, and blood pressure of the experimental group between before and after the experiment, and between the experimental group and the comparison group after the experiment. The sample consisted of hypertensive high-risk groups, aged 35–59 years, who had blood pressure 120-139/80-89 mmHg. The sample from Ban Kan Lueang sub-district health promoting hospital, which had characteristics within the inclusion criteria, was selected by simple random sampling to be an experimental group, and from Ban Sing Sub-district health promoting hospital to be a comparison group, with similar sex, systolic blood pressure, and age, 30 persons in each group. The experimental tools were 1) the behavioral development program for preventing hypertension among high-risk groups based on the health belief model, 2) a record form, and 3) an application line. The data collection tools were a questionnaire with 4 parts: 1) general data, 2) health data, 3) perception about hypertension with 5 subsets, and 4) hypertensive preventive behaviors, including eating and exercise behaviors. The questionnaire part 3-4 had a content validity index of 0.90-1, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.80-0.89. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test, and Mann-Whitney U test.

The results founded as follows: after experiment, perceived the severity of hypertension of the experimental group were significantly higher than before experiment and the comparison group, perceived risks of hypertension of the experimental group was significantly higher than before experiment, perceived benefits of hypertensive preventive behaviors was significantly higher than the comparison group, eating behaviors of the experimental group were significantly higher than before experiment and increasing more than the comparison group, exercise behaviors of the experimental group were significantly higher than before experiment and the comparison group, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the experimental group were significantly lower than before experiment and the comparison group (p-value < 0.05).

Conclusion and recommendation, the behavioral development program for preventing hypertension among high-risk groups leads to effectiveness. It should be used at the district health-promoting hospital in Nang Rong district, Buriram Province.