The Prevention of Acute Diarrhea in the Elderly in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand

Acute diarrhea is a preventable and controllable disease, but it is the number one cause of illness among all surveillance infectious diseases in Thailand, especially among the elderly. Acute diarrhea is the number one disease requiring epidemiological surveillance in Chachoengsao Province. The occurrence of acute diarrhea in the elderly causes complications and has a higher chance of death than in other patients. This research aimed to study the factors related to preventing acute diarrhea in the elderly in Chachoengsao Province. This study was a cross-sectional study. The variables studied were knowledge about acute diarrhea, attitudes toward acute diarrhea prevention, perception of risk of having acute diarrhea, perception of the severity of acute diarrhea, perception of self-efficacy in acute diarrhea prevention, and prevention of acute diarrhea in the elderly. The sample consisted of 390 elderly people in Mueang District, Chachoengsao Province, selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire to elicit knowledge about acute diarrhea, attitudes toward acute diarrhea prevention, perception of risk of having acute diarrhea, perception of the severity of acute diarrhea, perception of self-efficacy in acute diarrhea prevention, and behaviors for acute diarrhea prevention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The results revealed a moderate relationship between self-efficacy, knowledge, perceived severity, attitudes, and the prevention of acute diarrhea in older adults (r=0.662, 0.645, 0.588, 0.543, p<0.01). The perception of risk was a very low negative related to the prevention of acute diarrhea in the elderly (r=0.269, p<0.01). Overall, the study found a positive association between the factors of interest and the prevention of acute diarrhea in the elderly, although some variables exhibited a negative relationship. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the elderly and their family to be aware of the risk of acute diarrhea. Local government organizations, the Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital, community organizations, and community leaders should participate in setting disease surveillance measures such as washing hands often, eating clean, cooked food, drinking clean water, and disposing of garbage properly, to prevent the spread of the disease.