The Development of Community Preparation Management Guidelines to Promote Exercise for the Elderly in Primary Care Units National Health Security Office (NHSO), Bangkok

Abstract

This article aimed to 1) examine the development of management approaches to promote physical exercise among the elderly through community-based initiatives; 2) investigate the supporting factors that contribute to community readiness in promoting elderly exercise across various dimensions; and 3) propose management strategies to enhance community readiness for promoting physical activity among the elderly in Bangkok. A mixed-methods research approach was as follows: the quantitative research collected data from a sample of 400 elderly individuals using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using statistical methods, including percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. The qualitative research involved in-depth interviews with 10 key informants, including representatives from government agencies, primary care service units in Bangkok, and service users. The data were analyzed through content analysis and organized based on relevant theoretical frameworks to derive conclusions and propose recommendations.

The research findings revealed that: 1) The rapidly increasing proportion of older adults maintaining good health and quality of life, enabling them to live peacefully in society, reflected the need for effective management approaches to promote physical activity among the elderly through community-based initiatives; 2) supporting factors for physical activity, the role of relevant agencies in promoting exercise among the elderly, community and elderly participation, and community management in preparation for promoting physical activity among the elderly were, overall, rated at a high level across various dimensions of community-based promotion of physical activity for the elderly; and 3) the management approach for preparing communities to promote physical activity among the elderly in primary care units under the National Health Security Office, Bangkok, yielded a coefficient of 0.675 (t=4.633, Sig. = 0.001), accounting for 88% (R²_Adjusted =0.088) of the explained variance, respectively.