Social Support, Active Ageing Perception and Practices among Educational Staff in the Primary Educational Service, Nakhon-Si-Thammarat Province, Southern Thailand

Abstract

The phenomenon of an ageing population coupled with diminishing birth rates has given rise to an increasingly aged workforce in numerous nations. The undertaking to extend the working age beyond retirement holds great significance and poses formidable challenges in the fostering of readiness for active ageing among individuals within the age cohort of 45–59. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess WHO’s active ageing perception and practices and the social support of the educational personnel in the government sector of Nakhon-Si-Thammarat Province, southern Thailand. Data were collected through a multi-stage random sampling of 271 participants between October and November 2021. Descriptive statistics and point-biserial analyses were used to examine the correlations between the variables. The study participants consisted predominantly of females (81.2%), with an average age of 50.4 years (SD 4.3). The majority of the participants were married (56.5%) and had obtained a bachelor’s degree (78.2%). Most of the participants had not been diagnosed with noncommunicable diseases (52.0%) and had a good level of active ageing perception (95.9%), a moderate level of practice (68.6%), and a good level of social support (90.4%). Extra income and social support were correlated with practices at a low level (r = 0.252; p-value < 0.001 and r = 0.214; p-value < 0.001, respectively). In summary, the maintenance of a stable income emerged as a compelling incentive to engage in active ageing initiatives. The proactive promotion of active ageing practices among educational staff is of the utmost significance to the Thai government, particularly in the context of population ageing, with the anticipation of heightened awareness and backing from both families and educational institutions.