Development of a model for health literacy to the elderly towards preventive behaviors for heart disease and stroke, Mueang District, Nong Khai Province

Abstract

This research aimed to develop a health literacy model for the elderly to prevent cardiovascular diseases in Mueang District, Nong Khai Province. The study was conducted in three phases: Phase 1 examined the current situation of health literacy among the elderly regarding cardiovascular disease prevention behaviors; Phase 2 involved the creation and development of a health literacy model for the elderly to prevent cardiovascular diseases; and Phase 3 evaluated the effectiveness of the developed model. The sample consisted of 62 elderly individuals at high risk of cardiovascular diseases, divided equally into experimental and control groups of 31 participants each. The research duration was 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests.

The results showed that in Phase 1, the elderly's health literacy was moderate (47.8%), while their disease prevention behaviors were low (86.5%). In Phase 2, the developed model comprised an 8-week learning activity plan covering five aspects of health literacy skills. In Phase 3, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher average scores in health literacy and disease prevention behaviors compared to the control group (p < 0.05), particularly in understanding health information (p = 0.002), verifying health information (p = 0.015), managing health information (p = 0.028), and overall health literacy (p = 0.026). Therefore, the health literacy development model effectively enhanced health literacy levels and cardiovascular disease prevention behaviors among the elderly. The model's success was attributed to its design, which emphasized participatory activities, practical training, and the integrated development of all five aspects of health literacy skills.