Health Information Seeking Behaviors and Development Guidelines for Muslim Elderly People in Pattani Province

บทคัดย่อ

The objectives of this research were 1) to study health information seeking behavior (HISB) among elderly Muslims in Pattani province with differing personal factors, and 2) to study the development guidelines for HISB among elderly Muslims. The sample groups consisted of elderly Muslims aged 60 and above, selected through multistage random sampling, with a total of 400 people. Eleven experts were also selected for the purpose of qualitative study. Data was collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in both Thai and local Melay ldialect. Data obtained was analyzed using the simple descriptive statistics include, percentages, means, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The research findings revealed that the overall health information seeking behavior among elderly Muslims in Pattani province was at a moderate level (M = 3.35, SD = 0.76). Elderly Muslims in Pattani province with differing personal factors showed that their health information seeking behavior did not significantly differ overall, but significant differences were found in specific aspects at a significance level of .05. Moreover, the development guidelines can be summarized into eight approaches 1) developing the skills of the elderly in accessing health information resources, 2) developing caregivers’ knowledge and skills in seeking health information, 3) developing media and communication channels aligned with culture, language, and religious, 4) strengthening the academic health knowledge of public health volunteers, 5) develop health information seeking behavior among the people before they reach old age, 6) developing the roles of religious leaders and mosque committee by equipping them with health care knowledge and skills, 7) develop the community health charters, and 8) establishing mechanism to encourage lifelong learning through the involvement of all sectors.