Effectiveness of Program to Promote Stroke Prevention Behavior for older adult Hypertensions Nasor Subdistrict, Wanonniwad District, Sakonnakorn Province.

Abstract

     This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a stroke prevention behavior promotion program for older adult individuals with hypertension. The study was conducted in Nasor Subdistrict, Wanonniwad District, Sakonnakorn Province. The sample consisted of 58 older adult participants with hypertension who met the inclusion criteria, divided into an experimental group (n=29) and a comparison group (n=29). The 4-week program comprised four main activities: 1) education about stroke, 2) behavioral practice training, including food selection, exercise, and medication adherence, 3) support from village health volunteers serving as mentors to encourage continuous practice, and 4) home visits by health personnel to provide individualized counseling. The comparison group received standard care following non-communicable disease clinical guidelines. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, Mann-Whitney U test, and McNemar test.

     The results revealed that after the intervention, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores for knowledge about stroke, self-efficacy, and stroke prevention behaviors compared to before the intervention (p-value < 0.001) and significantly higher than the comparison group (p-value < 0.001). The older adult participants demonstrated notable health behavior modifications in various aspects, including regular exercise, stress management, and medication adherence for blood pressure control according to physician recommendations. Additionally, the number of participants unable to control their blood pressure levels significantly decreased from baseline (p-value < 0.05), demonstrating that enhancing knowledge, confidence, and social support directly impacts health behavior modification in the older adult.