Wellbeing and Wellbeing Promotion Pattern of Older Adults in Suratthani Province, Thailand: Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

Thailand is currently entering an aging society. It is necessary to have an appropriate pattern for promoting the wellbeing of older adults, which will lead to a good quality of life. This mixed-methods research aimed to study wellbeing by using the activity ageing framework and wellbeing promotion patterns of older adults in Suratthani province, Thailand. The research was conducted in two phases, consisting of quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative research was conducted in adults who were aged 60 years and older in Khunthale subdistrict, Mueang district, Suratthani province, Thailand. Volunteers were selected by a stratified random sampling technique. A wellbeing questionnaire was used to collect data from 929 participants. Three experts validated the content of the questionnaires and examined it for reliability, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.78. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. For the qualitative research, key informants were selected by purposive sampling from a sample of older adults who participated in the quantitative research. Data were collected during the qualitative research using focus group discussion and analyzed using content analysis.

According to the active ageing framework health dimension, the first dimension is health condition. The results showed that older adults perceived their wellbeing as moderate (37.8%). Health information provided by older adults in terms of disease and illness within 6 months revealed that most of them had hypertension and vision problems (35.7% and 35.8%, respectively).  The Barthel Activities of Daily Living (ADL) demonstrated that one third of the older adults did not have dependency (46.2%). Regarding mental health, based on the outcome of the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS) test, 1.1% were moderately depressed and most of the older adults had no depression (95.2%). Moreover, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) found that most of them (98.1%) did not have dementia. In the second dimension (security dimension), most of them were living with their spouse, and their offspring played a major role in their living security and financial support (68.4%). With regards to community participation in the older adults, it was found that half of them participated in religious activities (54.1%) and occasionally participated in community activities (42.8%).

A study of wellbeing promotion patterns of older adults found that they had a holistic pattern, including 1.) a pattern of physical wellbeing promotion consisting of choosing a healthy diet, sufficient exercise, adequate rest and sleep, and a balanced system within their body; 2.) a pattern of mental wellbeing promotion, including good mental strength in health care, proper mood management and satisfactory current life; 3.) a pattern of social wellbeing promotion, consisting of good interaction with others and society, sharing and not engaging others, and participating in community activities; and 4.) a pattern of spiritual well-being promotion, including understanding the principles of birth, old age, illness and death, understanding religious principles, keeping precepts and being happy when others are good.

This study can be used as a guideline for health care units to plan a health promotion management model, in addition to being used as a guideline for educating the general public to prepare for older adulthood in order to promote healthy aging.