A Model Development to Enhance Buddhism-Oriented Health Conditions for Preventing and Solving Chronic Illness in the Community: A Case Study of Ban Khui Parang, Wang Kuang Sub-District, Prankratai District, Kamphaeng Phet Province

Abstract

This study aims to explore how to enhance Buddhism-oriented health conditions
through the Dhamma practice package, consisting of CMD (Chanting, Meditation, Dhamma
discussion), EEE (Eating, Exercise, Emotional Control), and D (Daily life activity around the
clock), and how people in Ban Khui Parang, Prankratai district, Kamphaeng Phet province
carry out the said activities in their daily lives, as well as to develop how to enhance
Buddhism-oriented health conditions so as to prevent and solve chronic illness in the
community.
This study involves 2 research types, including the quantitative and qualitative
research. As for the quantitative research, 65 people who had participated in the training
program under the project of Ban Khui Parang on enhancing Buddhism-oriented Thailand
healthy lifestyle were recruited as the samples to answer the questionnaires, while the
data were analyzed by using frequency and percentage. With regard to the qualitative
research, this type involves the literature review, as well as the in-depth interview with 6
members of the Committee on the enhancement of Buddhism-oriented health conditions
under the network group comprising: home, temple, school, health care facilities, and local
administrative organization, and the group discussion with 7 committee members based on
the research instruments developed by the researcher.
The findings of the study on a model development to enhance Buddhism-oriented health
conditions for preventing and solving chronic illness in the community: a case study of Ban
Khui Parang, Wang Kuang sub-district, Prankratai district, Kamphaeng Phet province revealed
that the implementation had been made through the participation of the committees in
the localities, consisting of representatives of public health personnel, monks, District
Administrative Organization, schools, volunteer soil technicians, and village health
volunteers. It was found that the committees themselves put the Dhamma practice
package into practice, resulting in positive health outcomes, being extended to schools,
patients with chronic illness, and people susceptible to chronic illness. In this regard, the
Dhamma practice package had been integrated into several activities in the community,
มกราคม – มิถุนายน 2559 ปีที่ 39 เล่มที่ 132 วารสารสุขศึกษา 25
such as merit-making on every Buddhist holy day and religious holiday, activities held by
various groups of people, activities held by schools, clinics for patients with chronic illness
of sub-district health promoting hospitals, alcohol-free funeral ceremony campaign, and
organic vegetable gardening campaign. Monks had taken a leading role in changing how to
provide Dhamma principle, adding the Five Precepts regarding narcotics, i.e., to abstain
from drinking alcohol and smoking, to the existing Dhamma practice package. Moreover,
monks suggested that a cause of monks’ illness came from eating ready meal offered by
villagers. Therefore, monks supported the idea regarding “to encourage villagers’ kitchens
to become the family’s health center”, and people should be aware of food-related
health risks by abstaining from eating sweet, fatty, and salty food. Subsequently, fish sauce
or any seasoning no longer appeared on the dining table. Also, it was found that 24 out of
65 participants in the project or about one-thirds had underlying diseases, most of which
were hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. The revised Dhamma practice package had been
applied to performing daily activities. As a result, 76.9% of these people became healthier,
while 18.5% reported unchanged health conditions. This resulted in a decrease of 75% in
outpatients at the sub-district health promoting hospitals, a 2.5 times increase of patients
with diabetes and hypertension who could better control their symptom, while no risk
groups became new patients, funeral ceremonies were alcohol-free events, people
increasingly stopped drinking alcohol by 1.78 times, no dispute due to being drunk was
reported, alcohol-free families increased by 1.9 times, people who permanently stopped
smoking increased by 4.6 times, and the community stores did not sell cigarettes and
liquor to youth aged less than 18 years. In conclusion, the project on enhancing Buddhismoriented health conditions needs to rely on continuous implementation by core leaders as
well as general public in a flexible manner under the context of the community and
people’s way of life so as to bring about positive health outcomes at the individual, family,
and community levels.