HEALTH LITERACY AND BEHAVIORS TO PREVENT INAPPROPRIATE USE OF CANNABIS AMONG SCHOOL AGE GROUP IN UDON THANI PROVINCE

Abstract

The cross-sectional analytical research. The objective was to study the level of health literacy and prevention behaviors against inappropriate use of cannabis and to find the relationship between personal factors and health literacy and the preventive behaviors against inappropriate use of cannabis use among school age groups in Udon Thani. The sample group consisted of 173 students. Data were collected by using a questionnaire with an IOC between 0.67-1.00. The questionnaire's confidence was Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.73. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation was analyzed by chi-square test and find the Pearson correlation coefficient.

The results showed that students had overall health literacy at a fair level. Knowledge of understanding skills decision skills and information application skills were at fair level. Skills for accessing information and health services were at poor levels. Behavior preventing cannabis use was at a very good level. And found that the personal factors of age, gender, education level and status roles were not correlated with cannabis prevention behaviors. An analysis of the relationship of health literacy and preventive behaviors for cannabis use found that there was a statistically significant relationship (r = 0.32, p-value < 0.05).

Recommendations, Health literacy should be promoted for students. To provide students with good health knowledge and better preventive behaviors against inappropriate use of cannabis.