Background: Elderly falls increase dramatically with age and are a leading cause of injury, carrying a risk of loss of independence and death. We studied the effects of a health education program on fall-risk prevention among urban elderly persons in the municipality of Khon Kaen, Thailand. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2 communities. The calculated sample size was 216 individuals: 108 for intervention and 108 for control, all of whom were 60 or older, and registered at the Samlium Primary Care Unit (SPCU). The educational intervention was a fall risk intervention program by an elderly buddy. A structured questionnaire that incorporated questions from the Thai Fall Risk Assessment Tool (Thai-FRAT) was used to collect general and specific information. Data were analyzed using the independent sample t-test and c2, with P<0.05 being statistically significant. Results: The response rate was 94.4%. More than half of the respondents were at risk of a fall. The prevalence of risk of a fall among the intervention group was slightly less than that for those within the control group [Intervention group=52.9% (95%CI: 42.85, 62.81, P<0.001); Control group=60.8% (95%CI: 50.59, 70.15, P=0.016)]. After 6 months of intervention, the balance impairment, medicine usage, and overall proportion with risk of fall were decreased. The difference between the intervention and control groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The provision of a health education program designed for fall risk prevention among the elderly would be a useful public health initiative.
Asthma is a controllable disease. Poor asthma symptom control increased the risk of exacerbation. Accurate knowledge about asthma control can reduce risk behaviors, enhance good symptom control, and result in a minimal exacerbation. This study aimed to assess accurate knowledge about asthma control and factor related among asthma patients in a rural community. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 786 asthma patients using a simple random sampling method. Questionnaires were used, comprising two parts: socio-demographic and knowledge about asthma control. Data were collected by well-trained university student interviewers using the local language and then analyzed using frequency, percentage, independent sample t-test, ANOVA, multiple linear regression, and 95% CI. The response rate was 92.36% (726/786). This study found that 49.4.0% (359/367) (95% CI:45.75, 53.15) of asthma patients had accurate knowledge about asthma control. The most accurate knowledge referred to the exacerbation symptom “frequent asthma attacks showing the severity of the disease” (69.1%). The most inaccurate issue referred to the risk factor of the allergy to fabrics, drugs, food, chemicals, insects (59.0%). The factors related to accurate knowledge about asthma control levels in the asthma patients were age, marital status, and education. Half of the asthma patients had inaccurate knowledge about asthma control in terms of risk factors about allergic things and risk of asthma exacerbation from chronic sinusitis. For improvement, more attention should be paid to the misunderstood issues, namely, the risk factors, especially some triggers of asthma exacerbation.
This study aims to determine factors related to good glycemic control among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients living in rural communities. A case-control study was conducted, and data were collected from T2DM patients registered at health promotion hospitals. The sample size calculated required 101 samples for cases and 303 samples for controls. The case and control groups were interviewed using questionnaires and clinical record forms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, 95% confidence interval (CI), Chi-squared, adjusted odds ratio (AOR), and multiple logistic regressions. The response rate was 100%. Most of the sample was female, age 60 and over, married, had no schooling or primary school level, was still working, had a family caregiver, and used the universal coverage as the welfare scheme. When controlling for other significant factors, this study found the significant factors were drinking coffee with sugar and cream regularly (AOR 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.69), taking the number of diabetes drugs indicated at the right dose prescribed by doctors (AOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.12-3.61) and diabetes control literacy (AOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.32-1.57). Interventions need to be considered to modify these significant factors associated with T2DM patients with uncontrolled blood sugar levels for diabetes control literacy, taking drugs at the right dose, and promoting awareness of drinking coffee with sugar and cream regularly as risk factors.
To find an appropriate quit smoking program on the spread of Covid-19 in Thailand during 2019–2021. To synthesize contents from Khon Kaen University (KKU) staffs’ and students’ research studies and projects from 1989 to 2021 about smoking problems and quit smoking programs and suggest appropriate quit smoking programs for Thai people during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fifteen publications and five projects presentation by the KKU staff and students were retrieved, reviewed, and analyzed. Smoking problems in Thai people were concerned. The Ministry of public health has disseminated knowledge of the dangers of smoking and has organization carried out all projects and campaigns of anti-smoking and had an anti-smoking act in the workplace on the Covid-19 pandemic during 2019–2021. Projects and research studies were able to help reduce these smoking problems. An appropriate quit smoking program needs to be developed and implemented. An appropriate quit smoking program needs to be implemented suitable for Thai people, in the hospitals, private clinics, families, and in the communities during the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand.
Family caregivers (FC) are the key persons responsible for the health of the elderly, and they need sufficient health information to provide elderly health care. However, a few studies on online social media were used among FC in Thailand. Therefore, this study aims to assess health information seeking for elderly care by FC through online media. The descriptive study was conducted in 11 rural communities. FC refers to a family member responsible for unpaid care of the elderly and has lived with the elderly for more than six months. Based on simple random sampling, the sample size calculated requires 310 samples. The study tool was a questionnaire, in which Cronbach's alpha was 0.89. The data were collected by well-trained interviewers. The statistics used were frequency, percentage, t-test, and ANOVA. The response rate was 91.18%. This study found that most of the FC were female, completed secondary school and higher, married, and still working. This study discovered mean score of health information seeking through online media of 2.08 (SD 1.02) (95%CI 2.69, 2.92). This study also found that age group, elderly care training in the last three months, education level, elderly care knowledge obtained from nurses through communication applications on electronic devices, online video sharing applications, and social media platforms were statistically significant with health information sought through online media. To strengthen health information seeking by FC through online media, all related factors we found were suggested for intervention or further study.
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