EFFECT OF INSTITUTION-BASED MANAGEMENT FOR ELDERLY HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM IN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND

The increasingly aging population raises a major challenge for health care in Thailand and worldwide. Health promotion has been considered a strategy for improving elderly quality of life. There are a small number of elderly people living in government elderly services in Thailand, and little is known about their health promotion behaviors and how these behaviors have been shaped in an institution-based setting. This study aimed to examine the current situation and effectiveness of the Institution-based Management for Elderly Health Promotion (IBM-EHP) program in enhancing the health and health promotion behaviors of the elderly living in two out of five government elderly home service institutes (GEHSI) in northeastern Thailand. The elderly participants in one GEHSI were assigned into the management group and received the IBM-EHP program (n=60), and those in another GEHSI were in the control group and received the usual care provided by the institution (n=55). Before and after (six months) the program implementation, assessments of knowledge, self-efficacy, received social support, health promotion behaviors, and health status depicted by fasting plasma glucose level and lipid profile of the participants in both groups were performed. Data collection used an interview guide, and clinical and diagnostic measurement methods. Data analysis used frequency, mean, standard deviation, paired simple t-test, independent t-test, and multiple regression. Results indicated that the management group, compared to the control group, demonstrated improvements in perceived self-efficacy, received social support, health promotion behaviors, and HDL-C level (p<0.05). Perceived self-efficacy and received social support were predictive factors, which contributed to explain 50.6% of the health promotion behaviors of the institutionalized elderly participants in the management group. Modification solutions for suitable health promotion behaviors of the institutionalized elderly persons should emphasize on enhancing their self-efficacy and social support from the elderly home service institute and their peers.