Capacity of Health Centers for Implementing Health Promotion in Nakhonsawan Province

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to determine capacity status, ascertain key potential of health centers for implementing health promotion and to define strength and weakness of capacities of health centers for implementing health promotion. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by carrying on tested and revised questionnaires to all health centers in Nakhonsawan Province through provincial health office and all district health offices. Those were directly submitted to health centers and collected all completed questionnaires to researcher. The data were entered and checked for completeness before analysis. The results showed that 168 out of 189 respondents (88.9%) returned self-administrated questionnaires. Most of them (75.6%) are from health centers. The majority have appropriate capacities for implementing health promotion that mean score are higher than median (3 from 5 rating scale). However, there are some difficulties with health workers whom supported by health centers, those are resources support, human resources, accessing and enough of budgeting support and needed tools and infrastructure are inappropriate and not enough support. Individual capacity, commitment, has the highest mean score of all sub-domains with 4.0. That means strength of health centers for implementing health. An environmental capacity, public opinion, has the lowest mean score sub-domain with 2.7, means weakness of health centers. The effective capacity (related with several sub-domains) was individual planning and evaluation skill. In conclusion, planning and evaluation skills are key potential that conduct more effective health promotion. However, this study found critical factors of implementing health promotion, those are inappropriate and lack of health promotion resources. Moreover, providing more enough and appropriate resources for implementing health promotion are leading health centers in Nakhonsawan Province to execute more effective health promotion.