Effect of Protection Motivation and Peer Support Program on Knee Osteoarthritis Prevention Behaviors among Overweight Women

Abstract

  This quasi-experimental research studied the effect of protection motivation and peer support program concerning knee osteoarthritis prevention behaviors among overweight women, aged 40-60 years old, in Tago, Thungtago District, Chumphon Province, southern Thailand. The studied subjects were divided in 2 groups: 27 participants in the intervention group and 22 participants in the comparison group. The intervention group participated in the program 4 times within 8 weeks. Data were collected in 3 rounds at the beginning of the study (baseline), and at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after intervention. Data were analyzed using the Chi-Squared test, t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and were expressed as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The results indicated that after intervention, the intervention group had significantly higher average scores for perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy and preventive behaviors regarding knee osteoarthritis than the baseline value, and when compared with those of the comparison group (p < 0.05). While after intervention the quadriceps muscle strength of the subjects in the intervention group did not differ from their baseline value nor from that of the comparison group. The intervention group had significantly lower postintervention body weight than the baseline value (p < 0.05) but did not differ from that of the comparison group (p > 0.05). These findings suggested that this program could be usefully applied to overweight females in the community.