Effects of an Educational Program on Illness Perception and Emergency Symptom Management among Individuals at Risk for Stroke at Health-Promoting Hospital, Sing buri Province; Thailand.
Keywords:
educational program, illness perception, emergency symptom management, strokeAbstract
This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effect of an educational program on illness perception and emergency symptom management among individuals at risk for stroke. The study was conducted at the chronic disease clinic of a subdistrict health-promoting hospital in Singburi Province, Thailand, between February and May 2025. Sixty participants were recruited using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). The research instruments included the Stroke Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Emergency Symptom Management Questionnaire for Stroke. Content validity assessed by three experts yielded item–objective congruence (IOC) values ranging from 0.85 to 0.89. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) were 0.82 and 0.90, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, independent t-test, and Pearson’s product–moment correlation coefficient at a significance level of .05.
The results showed that after participating in the program, the experimental group had significantly higher illness perception scores after the intervention than before the intervention (Mean = 92.87, SD = 8.14 vs. Mean = 85.63, SD = 11.92; t(29) = 2.04, p < .05). Emergency symptom management scores also significantly increased after the intervention (Mean = 9.64, SD = 1.79 vs. Mean = 7.82, SD = 1.15; t(29) = 2.23, p < .05). In addition, post-intervention comparisons indicated that the experimental group had significantly higher scores than the control group (t(58) = 3.12, p < .05). Illness perception was moderately and positively correlated with emergency symptom management (r = .46, p < .001).
These findings suggest that the educational program effectively improved illness perception and enhanced emergency symptom management among individuals at risk for stroke. The program may be applied in primary healthcare settings to promote preventive behaviors and self-management among high-risk populations.
References
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. (2024). 2024 guideline for the primary prevention of stroke. https://www.heart.org
Dombrowski, S. U., White, M., Sniehotta, F. F., & Johnston, M. (2022). Behaviour change interventions for stroke prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 16(3), 455–475. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2021.1880010
Dharmasaroja, P., & Uransilp, N. (2024). Stroke awareness and knowledge in the at-risk population: A community-based study. Cureus, 16(4), e57756.
Feigin, V. L., Stark, B. A., Johnson, C. O., Roth, G. A., Bisignano, C., Abady, G. G., … Murray, C. J. L. (2021). Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990–2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Neurology, 20(10), 795–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00252-0
GBD Stroke Collaborators. (2023). Global, regional, and national burden of stroke and its risk factors, 1990–2021. The Lancet Neurology, 22(7), 627–647. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00145-4
Hagger, M. S., & Orbell, S. (2022). A meta-analytic review of the common-sense model of illness representations. Psychology & Health, 37(6), 643–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.1945066
Lecouturier, J., Rodgers, H., Murtagh, M. J., White, M., Ford, G. A., & Thomson, R. G. (2020). Systematic review of mass media interventions designed to improve public recognition of stroke symptoms and emergency response. Stroke, 51(3), 110–118. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.027562
Leventhal, H., Brissette, I., & Leventhal, E. A. (1996). The common-sense model of self-regulation of health and illness. In L. Cameron & H. Leventhal (Eds.), The self-regulation of health and illness behavior (pp. 42–65). Routledge.
Mellon, L., Doyle, F., Rohde, D., Williams, D., & Hickey, A. (2021). Stroke warning signs and risk factor awareness among the general population: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 21, 127. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10066-9
Ospel, J. M., Goyal, M., & Demchuk, A. M. (2020). Time is brain: Stroke emergency response. The Lancet Neurology, 19(2), 110–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30360-9
Powers, W. J., Rabinstein, A. A., Ackerson, T., Adeoye, O. M., Bambakidis, N. C., Becker, K., … Tirschwell, D. L. (2019). Guidelines for the early management of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Stroke, 50(12), e344–e418. https://doi.org/10.1161/STR.0000000000000211
Sposito, J., Zipf, A., Alhowaymel, F., Almutairi, M. T., & Breda, K. (2018). Community-based stroke recognition education and response: An evidence-based intervention project. Creative Nursing, 24(4), 251–257.
Sungbun, S., Tangkawanich, T., Thanakumma, O., Pitchayakoon, N., & Srichote, W. (2022). A community-based participatory approach to increase public knowledge of stroke among ethnic minorities in Thailand. Journal of Public Health and Development.
Virani, S. S., Alonso, A., Aparicio, H. J., Benjamin, E. J., Bittencourt, M. S., Callaway, C. W., … Tsao, C. W. (2021). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2021 update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(8), e254–e743. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000950
World Stroke Organization. (2025). Up again after stroke. Retrieved January 2025, from https://www.world-stroke.org/world-stroke-day-campaign/life-after-stroke/up-again-after-stroke
Zhong, X., Wang, J., He, L., & Xu, R. (2020). Recognition of stroke-related knowledge among community residents and the improvement after intensive health education. BMC Neurology, 20, 373.
กรมควบคุมโรค. (2566). รายงานสถานการณ์โรคหลอดเลือดสมองในประเทศไทย. กระทรวงสาธารณสุข.
วณิชปัญจพล, กัลยา เตชาเสถียร และผาสุก มั่นคง. (2025). ผลของโปรแกรมให้ความรู้ต่อการรับรู้การเจ็บป่วยและการจัดการอาการภาวะฉุกเฉินโรคหลอดเลือดสมองในผู้ที่มีภาวะเสี่ยง. วารสารกองการพยาบาล. 52(3). 120-134. https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/JND/article/view/284286/189396
