Effects of Modifying Traditional Medicine Use Behavior Program Applying Health Belief Model among the Elderly in Bangkhuntak Subdistrict, Muang District, Samutsongkhram Province

Abstract

            Elderly have many underlying diseases and have an opportunity to find some traditional medicine for curative consequently. They are risky to be harmful from taking nonstandarised traditional medicine. This quasi-experimental research was aimed to study the effectiveness of the program on traditional medicine use behavior modification applying health belief model among the elderly in Bangkhuntak Subdistrict, Muang District, Samutsongkhram Province.  The samples were composed of 30 elderly in the experimental group and 30 elderly in the comparison group.  The experimental group participated in 5 sessions of health education activities and the program lasted for 8 weeks. Data collection was done before and after the program by using interviewing schedules.  Data was analysed by computing frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, maximal score, minimal score, Chi-square test, Independent’s t-test, paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test Independent’s t-test and Mann Whitrey t-test.

            After the experiment, the experimental group was found  a significant difference of mean scores between the comparison group and before experiment, in regard to knowledge about traditional medicine use, perceived susceptibility of adverse effects of nonstandardised traditional medicine use, perceived severity of adverse effects of nonstandardised traditional medicine use, perceived benefits of and standandised traditional medicine use behavior (p<0.001), and the significant decreased mean score of perceived obstacles to use standardised traditional medicine was found compared to before the experiment and the comparison group (p<0.001). Thus, this health education program can be used for relieve the problems of using nonstandardised traditional medicine among the elderly in other subdistrict health promoting hospitals