Effects of the Health Literacy Promotion Program on Hypertension Prevention Behaviors in High Blood Pressure Risk Groups. of the primary and holistic service group Chiang Saen Hospital Chiang Saen District Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research, employing a One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Health Literacy Promotion Program on hypertension prevention behaviors among 30 high-risk individuals at the Primary Care and Holistic Care Unit, Chiang Saen Hospital, Chiang Rai Province. The research instruments included a personal information questionnaire and a health literacy assessment based on the "3E 2S" principle (Food, Exercise, Emotion, Non-smoking, and Non-drinking), which demonstrated a reliability coefficient of 0.864. The experimental group participated in a 5-week program consisting of weekly sessions (60–90 minutes each). The program comprised seven core activities: (1) enhancing health knowledge, (2) developing self-management skills, (3) adjusting attitudes and mental well-being, (4) strengthening social and environmental supports, (5) home visits by a multidisciplinary team and Care Givers, and (6) a knowledge-sharing forum with health record tracking. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Independent sample t-test. The results revealed that, after the 2-month intervention, the participants' mean scores in three key areas—health behaviors, access to health services, and health perception—increased significantly compared to the pre-test levels (P-value} < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that the program effectively enhances the self-management capabilities of high-risk individuals in preventing hypertension.