Predictive Factors of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Preventive Behaviors among the Elderly in Maechan Subdistrict, Maechan District, Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to study the predictive factors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preventive behaviors among the elderly in Mae Chan Subdistrict, Mae Chan District, Chiang Rai Province. The sample size was determined using Daniel's formula and stratified random sampling, resulting in 252 participants. The tools used for data collection consisted of a questionnaire on personal information, health literacy, and preventive behaviors against COVID-19 among the elderly. The questionnaire included multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, and a 5-point Likert scale. The tool's content validity, measured by the Index of Consistency (IOC), was found to be 0.97. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using KR-20 for the health literacy questionnaire related to knowledge and understanding of COVID-19, which yielded a value of 0.74. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the health literacy questionnaire in the areas of access to health information and services, communication skills, self-management skills, media literacy, decision-making skills, and the COVID-19 preventive behaviors questionnaire for the elderly were 0.87, 0.82, 0.87, 0.85, 0.83, and 0.88, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the COVID-19 preventive behaviors of the elderly were at a high level (X̄=57.15, S.D.=10.59). The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that there were five factors that could predict COVID-19 preventive behaviors: personal factors (underlying diseases), health literacy factors related to COVID-19 (knowledge and understanding of COVID-19, self-management skills, decision-making skills, and access to health information and services). These five variables together could predict 57% of the COVID-19 preventive behaviors of the elderly with statistical significance at the 0.05 level (Adj. R²=.570, F = 67.568, p<0.05). The results of this study can be applied as information for developing community health plans, providing health education, and promoting health literacy among the elderly to take care of their health and stay safe from COVID-19 or emerging diseases that may occur in the future.