Effects of health literacy program on health literacy of caring newborn to 6 months for primary caregiver in well child clinic at Regional Health Promotion Center 7 Khon Kaen

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research with two groups pre-posttest design aimed to examine the effects of an enhancing health literacy program on the health literacy of primary caregivers of newborns up to 6 months old. Well-Child Clinic, Regional Health Promotion Center 7 Khon Kaen. Sixty primary caregivers were recruited by purposive sampling and divided into the experimental group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30). The experiment group received an enhanced health literacy program and routine care. whereas the control group received only routine care. Research instruments included the intervention program and questionnaire to measure the outcomes variable: health literacy of caring for newborn up to 6 months. The health literacy was measured twice, at baseline and two months after the primary caregivers participated the program. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, pair t-test, and independent t-test. The results revealed that the experimental group had a significantly higher mean score of health literacy of caring for newborns up to 6 months than before they participated the program and compared to the control group (p < .05). This finding demonstrated that the program could improve the health literacy of primary caregivers of newborns up to 6 months old in the Well-Child Clinic at Regional Health Promotion Center 7 Khon Kaen. Therefore, nurses should use this intervention program to educate primary caregivers and enhance their health literacy to effectively care for newborns up to 6 months.