Health literacy and healthy behaviors to prevent complications in hypertensive patients at the Family Medicine Clinic, Primary Care Cluster of Nakornping Hospital

Abstract

This research was a quasi-experimental, before-and-after the intervention trial, aimed to study the effectiveness of the program to promote health literacy and health behaviors towards changes health literacy, health behaviors and blood pressure to prevent complications in hypertensive patients at the Family Medicine Clinic, Primary Care Cluster of Nakornping Hospital between April and October 2023. The sample size of 40 volunteers was collected using a purposive sampling method. The research instrument was applied from a questionnaire survey and promoting program of health literacy developed by the Health Education division, department of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health. The statistics used in the research consisted of descriptive and inferential statistics using paired t-test.

Results: The sample was 67.5% female and 32.5% male, 60% had the age range of 60-69 years old, 47.5% had education level in primary school, 42.5% had hypertension for 5-10 years, 67.5% had regular use of medication, 95.0% had co-morbidities. Before and after the program, the health literacy was in unsatisfactory level and increased to good level after the program, health behaviors in preventing complications were in unsatisfactory level and increased to excellent level with the average score of health literacy was 67.02 ± 12.86, compared with 91.32 ± 7.87, p<0.001, and health behaviors in preventing complications was 69.90 ± 8.35, compared with 84.0 ± 4.73, p<0.001. The averages of systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the sample were statistically significantly lower after participating in the program, p<0.001.

Conclusion: This health knowledge and health behavior enhancement program effectively increases knowledge and behaviors in preventing complications among patients with high blood pressure. Furthermore, it can be utilized for the development/promotion of health knowledge and health behaviors in patients with various chronic non-communicable diseases.