The effectiveness of dementia prevention program among the elderly, Muang District, Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

            This quasi-experimental study used a two-group pretest–posttest design. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of a dementia prevention program among the elderly in Mueang District, Chaiyaphum Province. The sample comprised 104 older adults, divided into an experimental group and a control group (52 participants each), selected using multistage random sampling. The research instruments consisted of two parts: (1) the Dementia Prevention Program for the elderly and (2) a questionnaire. Content validity indices ranged from 0.67 to 1.00. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the health literacy, self-efficacy, social support, and dementia prevention behavior scales were 0.83, 0.84, 0.79, and 0.75, respectively. The intervention lasted 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, paired t-test, and independent t-test.

           Results showed that after the intervention, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores for health literacy, self-efficacy, social support, and dementia prevention behaviors compared with both baseline and the control group (p < 0.001). Based on these findings, the dementia prevention program may be applicable to other primary healthcare settings with similar contexts.