Effects Of Local Health Education On Improving Cognitive Level Of Healthy-care In Middle-aged And Old People From Rural Areas

Objectives To evaluate effects of the local health education on improving cognitive level of chronic disease knowledge in rural middle-aged and old people. To provide scientific basis for community public health services and preventing and controlling of chronic diseases.Methods 1631 people aged 50 and older were randomly selected as subjects by Cluster random sampling from 30 villages in a countryside. Each subject accepted a face-to-face questionnaire and body check. All the 30 villages were divided into an education group (15 villages) and a control group (15 villages). A women director or a prestigious leader was chosen as a health instructor. A number of training courses were conducted to these health instructors, which focused on nutrition and chronic disease knowledge and skill training. Local food and health resources were sued to carry out dietary nutrition and chronic disease education following guidance in each village through local means of communication. The education group followed the direction of diet, nutrition and health education and guidance interventions for 7 months. There were no interventions for the control group. Following the same respondent, method and content principle, sample survey was conducted to the 969 people aged 50 and older in 30 villages before and after the trial.Results Before the intervention, the awareness rate of nutrition knowledge of the subjects was very low(only 3.7%). Only 48 persons (3%) knew all the five nutrients the body needs. The awareness rate of the main source of energy the body needs and which food contains more protein was higher(32.9% and 26.3% respectively). The awareness rate of which nutrient lost the most in fine rice and flour and which vegetable contains more water-soluble nutrients was 2.7% and 7.9% respectively. There were 80% of the subjects did not know the risk factors and prevention knowledge of chronic diseases. 57.8% of the subjects did not know how to control body weight. There were 80.1% subjects who had one or more than one risk behavior factors. Education, physical exercise, annual income and dietary diversity score were positively correlated with knowledge awareness rate. Gender, age, marriage status, high salt intake and drink were negatively correlated with knowledge. There was no significant difference in nutrition and health knowledge awareness rate between those who had hypertension and (or) diabetes and those who had not.After the intervention, the awareness rate of nutrition and chronic disease knowledge of the education group raised from 4.3% to 85.4%, while the control group increased only from 2.9% to 7.1%. The health knowledge awareness rate of the education group increased more than that of the control group (p<0.01). After the intervention,99.3% of the people in the education group believed that body check and the nutrition and health knowledge was useful for their health,93.3% of the subjects were willing to adhere to health behaviors according to the knowledge they acquired.Conclusion The local health education can make the middle-aged and old people in rural areas more likely to accept the nutrition and health knowledge, as well as positive healthy lifestyle and practice. Results of this study suggests that the local health education mode should be practiced in more rural areas.