Understanding perspective on community health literacy for promoting the health of older adults with hypertension: a qualitative descriptive study
Dublin Core
Title
Understanding perspective on community health literacy for promoting the health of older adults with hypertension: a qualitative descriptive study
Subject
community, health literacy, older adults, hypertension, self-care
Description
Introduction: Health literacy (HL) has been indicated as producing vigorous effectiveness in improving health
practices and health outcomes. Older adults with low HL expressed their difficulty in understanding and acting upon
health information, resulting in nonadherence to medical instructions and poor health outcomes. This study aimed
to understand the community people’s experience of access, understanding, evaluation, and application of health
information for self-care of hypertensive older adults, and explore the community's perspective on promoting
community health literacy (CHL) on caring for hypertensive older adults.
Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study. Data were collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews
in one sub-district municipality in Mahasarakham, Thailand. A total of 37 participants from older adults with
hypertension, families of older adults with hypertension, and community committees were recruited based on
inclusion criteria using purposive sampling. Data were then analyzed using a five-step thematic analysis.
Results: Four main themes of community people’s experience emerged 1) access to health information limited by
the healthcare personnel at the primary care unit (PCU), 2) understanding the health information because it is clear
and familiar, and can ask the medical personnel directly, 3) do not evaluate the health information received from
healthcare personnel because they trust them, and 4) applied health information to practice only taking medicine and
doctor’s appointments. Three main themes to promote CHL are 1) usual healthcare activities, 2) community action,
and 3) nurses at PCU, village health volunteers, and community committees should be involved in playing a key role
in promoting CHL.
Conclusions: Policymakers should establish health-related policies specific to improve hypertension health literacy
in community older adults. Cooperation with community leaders is important to promote CHL by using active learning
education and creating a supportive environment focusing on encouraging older adults to perform self-care to control
their health conditions.
practices and health outcomes. Older adults with low HL expressed their difficulty in understanding and acting upon
health information, resulting in nonadherence to medical instructions and poor health outcomes. This study aimed
to understand the community people’s experience of access, understanding, evaluation, and application of health
information for self-care of hypertensive older adults, and explore the community's perspective on promoting
community health literacy (CHL) on caring for hypertensive older adults.
Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study. Data were collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews
in one sub-district municipality in Mahasarakham, Thailand. A total of 37 participants from older adults with
hypertension, families of older adults with hypertension, and community committees were recruited based on
inclusion criteria using purposive sampling. Data were then analyzed using a five-step thematic analysis.
Results: Four main themes of community people’s experience emerged 1) access to health information limited by
the healthcare personnel at the primary care unit (PCU), 2) understanding the health information because it is clear
and familiar, and can ask the medical personnel directly, 3) do not evaluate the health information received from
healthcare personnel because they trust them, and 4) applied health information to practice only taking medicine and
doctor’s appointments. Three main themes to promote CHL are 1) usual healthcare activities, 2) community action,
and 3) nurses at PCU, village health volunteers, and community committees should be involved in playing a key role
in promoting CHL.
Conclusions: Policymakers should establish health-related policies specific to improve hypertension health literacy
in community older adults. Cooperation with community leaders is important to promote CHL by using active learning
education and creating a supportive environment focusing on encouraging older adults to perform self-care to control
their health conditions.
Creator
Chanissara Saenyabutr1
, Sunee Lagampan1
* , Arpaporn Powwattana1
, and Kwanjai
Amnatsatsue1
, Sunee Lagampan1
* , Arpaporn Powwattana1
, and Kwanjai
Amnatsatsue1
Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.20473/jn.v19i2.51151
Date
May 2024,
Contributor
peri irawan
Format
pdf
Language
english
Type
text
Files
Collection
Citation
Chanissara Saenyabutr1
, Sunee Lagampan1
* , Arpaporn Powwattana1
, and Kwanjai
Amnatsatsue1, “Understanding perspective on community health literacy for promoting the health of older adults with hypertension: a qualitative descriptive study,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed February 21, 2026, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/11004.