Implementation of health promotion in the older adults in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Effective strategies that bring health promotion messages to older adults in a developing country are needed. To evaluate the impact of various education media upon changes in knowledge and health behavior, a double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 1,268 older adults in a southwest Bangkok suburb. Group teaching supplemented by a video program was provided in the communities. A simplified booklet and an audiotape containing the same health education information as in the videotape were given to the older adults for self-study. Health knowledge was assessed before the health education program. Identical assessment was performed again 3 months after the intervention. The quadriceps exercise and Cawthorne-Cooksey head-and-neck-balance exercise - representing changes in health promotion behavior - were also evaluated. Those who attended the group-teaching program had higher test scores than the control group. Only those who both read the booklet and listened to the audiotape in the intervention group gained more knowledge than the control group. The combination of group teaching supplemented by the video program and self-study using the booklet and audiotape was effective in improving health knowledge and behavior.