Volume 12, Issue 6 (June 2025), Pages: 136-140

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 Original Research Paper

Health literacy and health-promoting behaviors in the prevention of non-communicable diseases among people in Samut Songkhram province

 Author(s): 

 Wipakon Sonsnam *, Araya Tipwong, Rangsima Passara, Nongluck Kaewtong, Tanaporn Wanakul, Luckwirun Chotisiri

 Affiliation(s):

 College of Nursing and Health, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4892-7901

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.06.013

 Abstract

This study aimed to assess (1) the level of health literacy for preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among adults in Samut Songkhram Province, (2) their health-promoting behaviors for NCD prevention, and (3) the relationship between personal factors, health literacy, and health-promoting behaviors. A total of 400 participants aged 20–59 years were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire consisting of demographic information, health literacy measured by the HLS-EU-16, and health-promoting behaviors assessed by the HPLP-II. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed. The findings showed that participants had good health literacy (mean = 3.13, SD = 0.45) and moderate-to-good health-promoting behaviors (mean = 2.60, SD = 0.50). A moderate positive correlation was observed between health literacy and health-promoting behaviors (r = 0.504, p < 0.001). Higher education and income were significantly associated with better health literacy and behaviors (p < 0.05), while employment status and self-rated health compared to the previous year were negatively associated with health-promoting behaviors. These results highlight the importance of improving health literacy to support sustainable health behaviors and reduce the risk of NCDs. Interventions such as workplace wellness programs, digital health tools, and school-based education, along with efforts to reduce socioeconomic disparities, are recommended to promote equitable health outcomes.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Health literacy, Non-communicable diseases, Health promotion, Socioeconomic factors, Preventive behavior

 Article history

 Received 2 January 2025, Received in revised form 24 May 2025, Accepted 29 May 2025

 Acknowledgment

This research is sponsored by the College of Nursing and Health, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU). 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Research and Development Office, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (Approval No. COA. 1-033/2024, dated June 6, 2024). All participants gave informed consent. The purpose and duration of the study were explained before participation.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Sonsnam W, Tipwong A, Passara R, Kaewtong N, Wanakul T, and Chotisiri L (2025). Health literacy and health-promoting behaviors in the prevention of non-communicable diseases among people in Samut Songkhram province. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(6): 136-140

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 Tables

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