Factors affecting Self-care Herbal Usages Behaviors of the People At Subtaree Village, Chantaburi Province

Abstract

        This survey research aimed to study the relationship between personal factors such as gender, age, marital status, education level, occupation, income, distance to use health service stations and congenital diseases with knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of using herbs for self-care. The population is 758 people between 18-65 years old in Ban Sabtari, Moo 2, Thung Khanan Sub-district, Soi Dao District, Chanthaburi Province. The sample size of 262 people was calculated by Taro Yamane's formula. The field data was collected during December 2019 by a simple random and sampling method which was randomly selecting households and randomly selecting household representatives. The research tools were the assessed questionnaire for validity on content by 3 Thai traditional medicine professors. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and regression analysis with jamovi 2.3.7 statistical analysis program.

        The results showed that;

        The respondents were 63% female, average age 46.26 years old, 43.9% was age between 41-60 years old, 68.3% was married, 58.7% was primary education, 51.9% was engaged in agriculture, 46.2% was income between 5,001-10,000 baht per month, 90.0% was distance from Ban Tao Tan Sub-District Health Promoting Hospital within a radius of 3 kilometers, 86.6% was peopled without congenital diseases, and 62.60% was having behaviors using herbs for self-care at a moderate level.

        Subgroups classification according to personal factors found that gender, congenital diseases were difference in the mean scores for knowledge, and herbal use behavior, while age group, education level, and marital status had knowledge scores, attitudes and behaviors on herbal use had at least one pair of subgroups differing in each factor. Only income level had no effect on the mean scores of knowledge, attitude and behavior of herbal use. Knowledge, attitude and behavior of herbal use were moderately correlated in a positive direction.