Effectiveness of the "Thung Mon Kitchen, Reduce Salt, Reduce Risk" Program through Community Participation in Controlling Blood Pressure among the Pre-hypertension Group at Thung Mon Health Promoting Hospital, Mueang District, Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

Purposes: To compare the blood pressure levels, Health Belief Model scores, and sodium consumption behaviors among the pre-hypertension group before and after participating in the program, and to compare the outcomes between the experimental and control groups.

Study design: A quasi-experimental research with a two-group pretest-posttest design.

Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 142 individuals aged 35 years and older with pre-hypertension. They were divided into an experimental group (n=71) and a control group (n=71), selected through multi-stage sampling. The research instruments included the 8-week "Thung Mon Kitchen, Reduce Salt, Reduce Risk" program, a digital blood pressure monitor, a health belief questionnaire, and a behavioral questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis included descriptive statistics, dependent samples t-test (paired samples t-test), and independent samples t-test.

Main findings: After the experiment, the experimental group showed a statistically significant decrease in mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (p<.001), and their mean blood pressure was significantly lower than that of the control group (p<.001). Furthermore, the Health Belief Model scores and sodium consumption behaviors significantly improved compared to the pre-experiment phase and were significantly better than those of the control group (p<.001).

Conclusion and recommendations: The program is highly effective in tangibly modifying behaviors and reducing blood pressure levels. It is recommended to expand the "Demonstration Kitchen" model as a proactive standard of care in healthcare settings.