EFFECTS OF THE HEALTH LITERACY PROGRAM, COMBINED WITH "KHU SIAW SAN PHALUNG" TO PREVENT DRUG AVOIDANCE BEHAVIORS AT NON-PHO SRI WITTHAYAKHOM SCHOOL IN SAM SUNG DISTRICT, KHON KAEN PROVINCE

Abstract

Drug addiction among children and youth poses a significant problem, particularly for students who will play key roles in national development. This quasi-experimental study examines the impact of a health literacy program combined with "Khu Siew San Phalung" on promoting drug prevention behaviors at Non Pho Si Witthayakhom School in Sam Sung District, Khon Kaen Province. The study involved two groups: the experimental group, consisting of 30 secondary school students from Non Pho Si Witthayakhom School who received the health literacy program and "Peer Power Partners" intervention, and the comparison group, with 30 students from Premtinnasulanon School who engaged in regular school activities. The intervention lasted for 10 weeks. Data was collected before and after the intervention using questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation), as well as Paired t-tests and Independent t-tests, with a significance level at .05. Results indicated that after the intervention, the experimental group scored an average of 12.75 points higher in health literacy related to drug prevention compared to the comparison group, with statistical significance (95% CI = 4.50 to 16.29; p-value < .001). Additionally, the experimental group’s average score for drug prevention behaviors was 15.53 points higher than the comparison group, also statistically significant (95% CI = 7.36 to 9.30; p-value < .001). This indicates that the health literacy program combined with "Khu Siew San Phalung" is an effective approach for enhancing drug prevention behaviors and reducing drug issues in schools.