Effects of Pre-Aging Preparation Program on Health-related Knowledge and Health Behaviors of Pre-Aging Persons in Wangnuea Subdistrict , Wangnuea Distric , Lampang Province

Abstract

     This quasi-experimental research aimed to investigate the effects of a pre-aging preparation program on the health-related knowledge and health behaviors of pre-aging individuals in Wangnuea Subdistrict, Wangnuea District, Lampang Province. Ninety-four pre-aging individuals were systematically and randomly sampled, with 47 participants assigned to the experimental group receiving regular health advice, and 47 to the control group participating in the pre-aging preparation program. Research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, a health-related knowledge test, and a health behavior questionnaire. The Index of Item Objective Congruence for each instrument was 0.75, and the reliability values for health-related knowledge and health behavior questionnaires were 0.85 and 0.79, respectively. Descriptive statistics were employed for general data analysis, and comparisons between the experimental and control groups were conducted using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Independent t-tests were used to compare mean scores of knowledges and self-care behavior between the two groups, while paired t-tests were utilized to analyze scores before and after the experiment.

     The results demonstrated that upon program completion, the experimental group exhibited higher average scores in knowledge and self-care behaviors compared to the control group. Notably, the experimental group had significantly higher average scores for knowledge (t=13.78, p<0.001) and self-care behaviors (t=8.13, p<0.001) than the control group. These findings underscore the importance of continuous preparation for advanced age among pre-aging individuals, advocating for the development and application of pre-aging preparation programs in various community settings.