Effects of the health literacy promotion program on self-care behavior and clinical outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes at Vibhavadi Hospital. Surat Thani Province.

Abstract

     This quasi-experimental research aimed to examine the effects of a health literacy enhancement program on self-care behaviors and clinical outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at Wipawadee Hospital, Surat Thani Province. The sample consisted of 70 T2DM patients, both male and female, aged 30-59 years, who were diagnosed by physicians as having uncontrolled diabetes with HbA1c levels greater than 7%, without complications such as stroke, coronary artery disease, nephropathy, or retinopathy, and receiving treatment at the chronic disease clinic of Wipawadee Hospital. Simple random sampling was employed. The research instrument was a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Paired t-test and Independent t-test).

     The results revealed that: 1) After participating in the health literacy enhancement program, the experimental group had significantly higher diabetes knowledge than before the program and higher than the control group (p<.05)., 2) The experimental group demonstrated significantly better self-care behaviors than before the program and better than the control group (p<.05). and 3) The experimental group had significantly lower HbA1c levels compared to before the program and to the control group receiving routine nursing care (p<.05).