Feasibility and Acceptability of a Community-Based Health Literacy Program for Individuals With Prehypertension

Engaging end users through co-design is essential for developing effective and sustainable hypertension prevention interventions, while rigorous evaluation helps identify and address barriers to enhance acceptability and impact.

A feasibility study was conducted using a convergent mixed-methods design. A convenience sample participated in a community-based Health Literacy Program. Instruments included the Thai Hypertensive Health Literacy and Health Behaviors Questionnaire (Thai HLHBQ), the Information and Support for Health Action Questionnaire (ISHA-Q), a hypertension knowledge test, a satisfaction survey, and an interview guide. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and repeated measures ANOVA.

The sample comprised ten adults with prehypertension, one nurse practitioner, and one public health officer. The attendance rate of participants with prehypertension during the 6-week period was 100%. Participants completed a baseline assessment at Week 0. The intervention was delivered over a 5-week period (Weeks 1-5), and post-intervention assessments were conducted at Week 6. Post-intervention, significant improvements were observed in knowledge, health literacy, and blood pressure readings. Knowledge increased from 6.8 to 9.3/10 (Hedges' g = 2.65, P < .001). Health literacy scores increased by 10 points (HLHBQ; Hedges' g = 1.05, P = .005) and 32.5 points (ISHA-Q; r = 0.66, P = .037). Systolic blood pressure decreased from 129.3 to 123.9 mmHg (η²_p = 0.43, P < .004) and diastolic from 83.9 to 79.9 mmHg (η²_p = 0.41, P < .001).

The results provide evidence that the intervention was both feasible and acceptable for implementation in a rural Thai community.