A Study of Health and Smoking Behaviors among Chronic Disease Patients in Community

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are closely associated with unhealthy health behaviors. The Praboromarajchanok Institute Model (PBRI Model) is a holistic health promotion approach that applies the 7-Color Traffic Light tool for systematic health assessment and classification. This survey study aimed to examine the health status and health behaviors of chronic disease patients in Thanyawat Community and to assess their health status using the 7-Color Traffic Light tool based on the PBRI Model. A total of 115 eligible patients with diabetes and/or hypertension participated in the study. Data were collected using the PBRI Model health screening form and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Most participants were female (59.1%) with a mean age of 63.90 years (S.D. = 13.56). Current smoking was reported by 18.3%, current alcohol consumption by 26.0%, and sufficient physical activity by 60.0%. The most common chronic conditions were hypertension (42.6%) and diabetes (32.2%). Mean BMI was 24.37 ± 4.18 kg/m², mean systolic blood pressure was 137.51 ± 19.24 mmHg, and mean HbA1c was 7.66 ± 1.69%. The 7-Color Traffic Light assessment showed that most participants were classified in the light green (at-risk, 32.2%) group, followed by the white (normal, 27.8%) and yellow (under-surveillance, 25.2%) groups. The findings provide information on the health status and health behaviors of chronic disease patients in the study area and may support planning for health promotion and follow-up of at-risk groups in the community.