Supporting Factors Affecting Health Literacy in the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases Among Village Health Volunteers in Bang Bo District, Samut Prakan Province
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Abstract
Health literacy plays a crucial role in reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly among village health volunteers (VHVs), who serve as key agents in communicating and disseminating health knowledge at the community level. This study aimed to examine personal factors and supportive factors influencing health literacy in NCDs prevention, assess the level of health literacy, and identify significant predictors of health literacy among VHVs in Bang Bo District, Samut Prakan Province. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with a stratified random sample of 265 VHVs. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire with content validity and high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.95–0.99). Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and Multiple regression
analysis (enter method) were applied. The results revealed that more than 60% of VHVs were older than 50 years, female, had an education level lower than an associate degree, had over seven years of volunteer experience, and had attended health training more than five times. Supportive factors for health literacy were rated high to very high, including attitude and motivation support (Mean = 4.53, S.D. = 0.58), access to health information
(Mean = 4.31, S.D. = 0.64), support from health agencies (Mean = 4.42, S.D. = 0.64), and community
network support (Mean = 4.18, S.D. = 0.79). The overall health literacy level for NCDs prevention was also high
(Mean = 4.32, S.D. = 0.62). Multiple regression analysis indicated that three factors significantly predicted health literacy at the 0.05 level: access to health information (Beta = 0.56, p-value < 0.001), community network support (Beta = 0.27, p-value < 0.001), and attitude and motivation support (Beta = 0.13, p-value < 0.001), jointly explaining 79% of the variance in health literacy (R² = 0.79, F = 238.93, p-value < 0.001). In conclusion, enhancing access to health information, strengthening community network support, and fostering positive attitudes and motivation are key strategies to improve VHVs’ health literacy and effectiveness in NCDs prevention. Investment in capacity building for VHVs is therefore essential to support Thailand’s long-term strategy for sustainable NCDs prevention and control.
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ผู้แต่งที่ตีพิมพ์กับวารสารโรคและภัยสุขภาพ ภาคตะวันออก ประเทศไทย จะต้องยอมรับเงื่อนไขต่อไปนี้ :
ผู้แต่งจะต้องสงวนลิขสิทธิ์และให้สิทธิ์กับวารสารในการตีพิมพ์เผยแพร่บทความ โดยบทความจะถือเป็นลิขสิทธ์ของ สำนักงานป้องกันควบคุมโรคที่ 6 จังหวัดชลบุรี
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