The effect of a health belief model application program on stroke prevention in high risk groups at Phimai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

This research aimed to study the effects of a health belief model application program on stroke prevention in high-risk groups in patients with diabetes and comorbidities such as hypertension or dyslipidaemia, who were receiving services at NCDs (non-communicable diseases) clinic in subdistrict health promoting hospitals in Phimai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. A total of 40 participants were recruited and divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 20 participants in each. All participants were able to use mobile phones and the LINE application, had good awareness, able to communicate effectively. The experimental group was drawn from Bancuem Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, while the control group was from Makarawe Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital. The research tool was a health belief model application program on stroke prevention in high risk groups. The experimental group received knowledge enhancement and perception reinforcement through the LINE application over an 8-week period. Data collection instruments included: 1) a demographic data questionnaire, which has a content validity of 0.80-1.00; 2) a stroke knowledge questionnaire, with a reliability value of 0.86 using the Kuder-Richardson 20 method; 3) a stroke perception questionnaire, with a reliability value of Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.78; and 4) a stroke risk reduction behavior questionnaire, with a reliability value of Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.83, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency distribution, percentage, mean, standard deviation; chi-square test, wilcoxon signed-rank test, and mann-whitney u test. The results showed that, after the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher posttest scores in stroke knowledge, stroke-related perceptions, including perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits of prevention, perceived barriers to preventive behaviors, and self-efficacy in performing preventive behaviors, and stroke prevention behaviors compared to their pretest scores and to the control group. These differences were at statistically significant level of 0.05. Therefore, the health belief model application program effectively could promote better stroke knowledge and perception in stroke-risk patients, resulting in appropriate stroke prevention behaviors.