Factors influencing Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Behaviors among Diabetes Risk Groups and Hypertension Risk Groups in the Area of Phang Nga Province

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the factors that influence the behavior of preventing and controlling chronic non-communicable diseases, to compare knowledge and to find the association between predisposing factors, reinforcing factors, and enabling factors with the behaviors of at-risk groups for diabetes and hypertension in Phang Nga Province. It was condcuted through a survey in the population aged 35 and above after screening for diabetes and hypertension in the fiscal year 2022, with the calculated sample size of 349. The tool used was a questionnaire on knowledge and practices for the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases and inquiry predisposing factors, reinforcing factors, and enabling factors. Data were analyze using multiple linear regression, Wilcoxon signed rank test and Pearson correlation statistics. It was found that most factors influencing were enabling factors including family, friends, and public health officials providing knowledge, followed by reinforcing factors including community resources, difficulty of access, laws; and the predisposing factors were knowledge (p<0.01). Comparing the knowledge of the at risk population before and after giving education revealed significantly higher knowledge than that of the baseline (p<0.01). In terms of disease prevention behaviors, most were at the high to highest level, while exercise behaviors were at a moderate level. Predisposing factors, reinforcing factors, and enabling factors were found to be minimally associated with the at risk behavior (p<0.01). Therefore, appropriate dietary consumption programs for householdshould be developed; and routine exercise be promoted in order to modify the behaviors of at-risk groups for disease prevention, tailored to the environment and context of the community.