A HEALTH BEHAVIOR PROMOTION MODEL FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION AMONG OBESE STUDENTS OF WESTERN RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY OF IMPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR PROMOTION ACTIVITIES

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) develop a health behavior promotion program for weight reduction among obese university students and 2) to evaluate changes in knowledge, attitudes, and health behaviors before and after participation. A qualitative research design was employed. The participants were 25 obese university students (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m²), purposively selected. The research instruments included in-depth interviews, behavioral observation forms, and field notes. The intervention consisted of six workshop sessions covering nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and motivation enhancement.

The findings revealed that 1) the research findings led to the development of a model in the form of six practical workshops covering content on nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and motivation enhancement, and was evaluated as effective in stimulating and supporting obese students to appropriately modify health behaviors for weight reduction, and 2) significant changes were found in three main areas after participation in the activities: increased knowledge about nutrition and correct food selection, improved attitude toward exercise and the importance of healthcare, and health behavior that could be practically modified in daily life, such as reducing high-calorie food consumption and increasing physical activity, which the key mechanism of these changes was the enhancement of Self-Efficacy through practical training and the creation of a social support network within the group of participants.