Health Behavior of Elderly in Khon Kaen Province

 Studies  concerning  socioeconomic  and medical  problems  of  the  elderlies  in  Khon  Kaen  Province,  Northeast  Thailand,  were  conducted  in  1989 – 1990.  The  objectives  of  these  stuidies  were  to  out  nutritional  status,  eating  habit  and  parasitic  infection.   A  tobal  of  464  elderly  persons  from  a  semi – urban  area  and  a  rural  area   of  Khon  kean  Province  were  sampled  by  the  30  cluster  sampling  technique  in  each  area,   The  method  was  composed  of  an  interview  by  structured  questionnaire,  an  in – depth  interview,  a  24 – hour  recall  interview,  stool  examination  and  anthropometry  by  height  and  weight   measurement.  The  results  revealed  theat  most  of  elderly  lived  with  their  relatives  and  or  children  and  had  been  taken  care  by  their  elotives.   Half  of  the  tobal  elderlies  were  widwed  and  primary  school  educated ;  and  22.4  per  cent  were  working ;  66.3  percent  were  smokers  and  most  of  them  were  males ;  37.1  per  cent  were  drinkers.  Seventy – six  per  cent  of  the  total  elderly  group  habitually  chewed  areca   nuts  and   betel  leaves  smeared  with  lime  ;  36.4  per  cent  consumed  improperly   cooked  food. IIIness  prevalence  of  elderly  during  the  previous  2  weeks,  was   fond  that  the  number  of  sick  elderly  in  the  semi – urban  area  was  slightly  higher  than  those  in  the  rural  area.   Curative  behavior  or  health  seeking  behavior  when  getting  ill  of the  elderly  was  found  as  following  :  42.2  percent  went  to  see  a  doctor  at  the  health  station  or  clinic  and 39  percent  had  self  medication. Nutritional  status  of  the  elderly,  using  body  mass  index  (BMI)  calculated  from  weight  and  height  revealed   that  rural  elderlies  were  lean  significantly  much  more  than those in  semiurban  aaea. (BMI

Elderly’s Food Consumption Behaviour In A Rural Area In Northeast Thailand : Study In Non-Com District

 The study was udndrtaken to obtain informaiton about food consumption, food habit and nutritional status of the food eaten by the elderly, The subjects of the study were 82 elderly people (38 men, 44 women) in Sern-Nae village and Pha-Gua village, both in Non-com District , KhonKaen Province, Northeast Thailand. All the villagers aged sixty and over were interviewed. The nutritional status of the elderly was assessed by body mass index (BMI). Semi quantitative of food comsuption in 24 hours was studied in 30 percent of the elderly group (randomly selected). The elderly were asked about foods eaten in the previous 24 hours and also interviewed about food habits. The average age of the subjects was 71 years. They generally lived with Their  famillies and had meals with other members .Foods were cooked by daughters or daughters-inlaw. 43.9 percent of the subjects had a chronic illness. It is traditionally believed that the elderly should not eat raw food. Half of the group had chewing problems that the elderly should not eat raw food. Half of the group had chewing problems. 71 percent were found to have low nutritional status (the average body mass index of this percentage was 19.5 kg/m2 for men and 17.2 kg/m2 for women). Therefore , the elderly had a tendency to be unhealthy and malnurished. Although their food had a low fat content they got enough calories, rotein and iron. Larger amounts of vitamin B1 Vitamin B2 niacin and Vitamin C , which were rather low , should be recommended. Furthermore, to improve the healh of the elderly , the midwives would be a valuable group to use in compaigning and educating the public, Those who prepare food should be educated so that they can prepare appropriate foods for the elderly.

Effect of Village Fishery Project to Socio-Economic and Health

 The Objective of this research was to study the effect of village fishery project (VEP) on socio-economic and health of the villagers. Two hundred-and-six households in five villages which VFP have been started since 2527 and 83 house holds in two villages which did not have VFP (control villages) in KhonKaen Province were systematic sampling. The study was carried out by using questionairs to interview the villagers, Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement, food consumption of pregnant women , lactating women and preschool children , physical examination and fecal examination. There was no significant difference between the average income in VEP villages and those of control villages (P \> 0.05). The villagers in VEP villages were more active in participating in community organizations and specnt more income for village development than those in control villages. Lactating women and pregnant women in both VEP and control villages received sufficient energy, protein, vitamin B1 and niacin compared to World Health Organization recommendation , and the figures in both group were nonsignificant. The weight for height of the chidren in all seasons in VEP villages and control villages were nonsignificant (P \> 0.05). There was no significant difference between the general health of the villagers in VEP villages and those in control villages. Endoparasitic infestation in both VEP villages and control villages. Endoparasitic infestation in both VEP villages and control village were decrease

Study groups of mother or relatives whose level of education are higher

 It was believed that more highly educated mothers could take care of their children better than less educated mothers.  Other factors involved the growth development of children during infant and preschool years.  Two villages in Khon Kaen provinces were studied and compared.  The target groups were children below five years and their mothers.  Only mothers in a studied village were given health education.  The result showed that children in a studied village were slightly more developed and healthier than children in a controlled village.  However, when the mothers education levels were compared, data showed that mothers with lower education could look after their children better than those in a higher education group.  This happened in both villages.  It might be that lower educated mothers had more time for their children and tended to follow the local health worker’s teaching.  In contrast the mothers in the higher educated group had more chance to work outside and left children with their cousins.  There fore, this might effect children’s growth development and health.