HEALTH LITERACY AND FACTORS PREDICTING HEALTH PROMOTION BEHAVIORS AMONG BUDDHIST MONKS IN NAKHON PHANOM PROVINCE

Abstract

          The objectives of this research article were to: 1) study the level of health literacy 2) study the level of health promotion behaviors 3) study factors predicting health promotion behaviors among Buddhist monks in Nakhon Phanom province. The research design was cross-sectional survey in predictive research. The samples were 256 Buddhist monks and were recruited by stratified random sampling. Research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, health literacy questionnaire, and health promotion behaviors questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results revealed that subjects had health literacy was in an excellent level, fair level and not good enough level, rate was 45.7%, 35.5% and 18.8% respectively. The study results found that subjects had health promotion behaviors at a high level rate was 49.3%, secondary were moderate level and low level rate was 40.2 and 10.5 respectively. Health literacy and years in the monkhood predictors of health promotion behaviors accounted for 68.2 % (Adjust R² = .685, F = 275.055, p - value < 0.001). The predictive equation for health promotion behaviors in standard score form can framed as follows: health promotion behaviors = 0.797 (health literacy) + 0.121 (years in the monkhood). Therefore, health literacy should be promoted to Buddhist monks by designing a process to enhance health literacy to be specific to the target group led to promote health promotion behaviors in the future.