Health Beliefs and Social Support with Self-Care of Essential Hypertension Patients at Surin Hospital, Surin Province.

Abstract

Objective: To study the relationship between health beliefs, social support and self-care in essential hypertension patients.
Research Type: Survey Research
Place of study: Outpatient Department, Surin Hospital
Method of Study: The 385 patients who attended the outpatient department at Surin hospital during February to March 2010 were sampled through accidentally random sampling technique. The instrument used for data collecting was a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using percentage, mean, standard deviation and spearman correlation.
Result of Study: The majority of the respondents were married female with mean age 56.81 years. Their educations were primary level. Major career was agriculture with mean income per month less than 5,000 baht. Most of respondents had enough income but not enough for saving. The major role in family was income maker. In terms of medical service, social welfare subsidies the expense. There were familial history of hypertension. Level of opinion toward health beliefs both overall and individual aspects was at high level. Overall and individual social support were at high level. Overall self-care, eating, defecation, stress management, drug ingestion and medical check appointment aspects were at high level, excepts exercise aspect was at moderate level. The result of hypothetical test revealed that overall and individual health beliefs aspect positively correlated with essential hypertension patients self-care at the statistical significant level .01 (r=.328) Moreover, overall and individual social support aspect positively correlated with essential hypertension patients self-care at the statistical significant level .01(r=.520)
Conclusion: Correctable health beliefs promotion and appropriative social support affected effective self-care of patients and lessened complication of hypertension.