Effects of Nutritional Promotion Program with Food Supplemented Local Cuisine on Nutritional Status of Tuberculosis In Phaholpolpayuhasena Hospital, Kanchanaburi Province

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the nutritional status between a group receiving a nutritional promotion program combined with traditional supplements and a control group receiving standard health education among tuberculosis patients at Phaholpolpayuhasena Hospital, Kanchanaburi Province.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study with two-group pretest-posttest design was conducted. The participants were 64 tuberculosis patients registered at Phaholpolpayuhasena Hospital from 2023 to 2024, randomly divided into an intervention group (n=32) and a control group (n=32). The intervention group received a nutritional promotion program combined with traditional supplements. Data was collected using interviews and the Nutrition Alert Form (NAF). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent t-test.

Results: There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics and nutritional status between the two groups. After 12 weeks, the intervention group had a higher proportion of patients with no risk of malnutrition (NAF = A) compared to the control group (62.50% vs. 31.25%), and a lower proportion of patients with severe malnutrition (NAF = C) compared to the control group (0.00% vs. 25.00%). These differences were statistically significant (p=0.002).

Conclusions: The intervention group receiving the nutritional promotion program with traditional supplements had better nutritional status than the control group. This finding suggests that a nutritional promotion program combined with traditional supplements can be implemented in tuberculosis clinics to monitor and improve the nutritional status of tuberculosis patients, especially during the first 3 months of treatment, to promote recovery and cure.