The Elderly’s Health Care Behaviors in the Plains and Foothills in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
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Abstract
This cross–sectional research aimed to (1) study the elderly’s health care awareness and behaviors, (2) compare health care behaviors among themselves, and (3) find out the relationships between awareness factors and the behaviors. The sample comprised 397 individuals. Among them selected using an accidental sampling from the elderly in the plains and foothills, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. A questionnaire was used to collect data with the reliability in the aspect of health care awareness and health care behaviors were 0.861 and 0.819; respectively. The statistics used for data analysis included percentage, mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA, LSD and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Results revealed that (1) the majority of the elderly (44.84%) had health self–care knowledge at a moderate level. The overall health care behaviors was at a high level ( =1.99, S.D.=0.24). (2) The comparison of different health care behaviors and characteristics, ages showed no differences for an overall aspects. While considering each aspect, it found that exercising and resting were statistically significance differences level at .05 and .01, respectively. The elderly with educational level difference for an overall aspect, there was statistically significance difference at .05 level. While considering each aspect, it was found that exercising and resting showed statistically significance difference of .05 and .01 levels. In terms of gender, marital status, and persons living together, they had no significant difference. And Nutrition knowledge, fitness and resting positively correlated with health care behaviors at .01 level of statistical significance with low correlation coefficients at 0.341, 0.325 and 0.350, respectively. The elderly’s accident prevention knowledge had a positive correlation with health care behavior at statistical significance level of .01 and also showed low correlation coefficient at 0.239. The result of this study may be applied as a basic information in setting policy (formulation), strategic planning and guidelines for organizations health care activities for the elderly in the plains area of the foothills comprised 6 districts e.g. Thung Song, Nabon, Thung Yai, Bang Khan, Phra Phrom and Ron Pibun of Nakhon Si Thammarat province and other areas.
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