Abstract:
This research aimed to study the bio-social factors, main factors, coordinating factors and self-care behaviors and health promotion folk healers and to investigate the relationship among the bio-social factors, main factors, coordinating factors and self-care behaviors and health promotion of folk healers in Yasothon province.
The population of this study included 697 folk healers registered in 6 groups of folk healers in the province. A total of 300 samples were selected by means of a multi-staged sampling technique of which the sample group size was determined by the formula of Yamane. The research instrument included a survey questionnaire, giving the overall reliability coefficient of .90, consisting of 4 parts asking the questions about the bio-social factors, main factors, coordinating factors and self-care behaviors and health promotion of folk healers in Yasothon province. The statistics used in data analysis involved frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Chi-square, and Pearsons product moment correlation coefficient test.
The research findings were as follows:
1. For the bio-social factors, that is, gender, age, marriage status, expertise of folk healer, length of healing professional, and monthly income, were found as the following. Male folk healers (78.33%) were found to outnumber their female counterparts (21.67%). Their marriage status was found as single (48.67%), married (35.33%), widow/divorced (10.67%), and separated (5.33%). Expertise of folk healers involved herbal healer (19.00%), bone healers (47.67%), ritual healers (34.67%), and others (1.67%). The length of professional were found to be 5 to10 years (23.67%), 11 to 15 (25.33%), 16 to 20 (32.67%), and 20 and over (18.33%). Average age of folk healers was 55.85 years; the youngest was 50 and oldest was 65 years. The average monthly income was 7,663 baht of which the least income was 5,000 baht and most income 13,000 baht.
2. In terms of the main factors namely the knowledge of health promotion and perceived benefit of health promotion, the samples were found to have the knowledge of health promotion at a moderate level while the perceived benefit of health promotion was found to be overall at a high level.
3. For coordinating factors, that is, receiving knowledge, advice, and health promotion from health offices, it was found that most folk healers gained the aforementioned variable at a high level.
4. Self-care behaviors and health promotion folk healers in Yasothon province were found to be at good level.
5. With regard to the relationship of bio-social factors, main factors, coordinating factors and self-care behaviors and health promotion folk healers in Yasothon province, gender, ritual folk healer, length of professional of 16 to 20 years, perceived benefit of health promotion, and receiving knowledge, advice, and health promotion from health offices were found to have a positive relation with self-care behaviors and health promotion folk healers in Yasothon province at the level of .01 of significance. The variable found to have a negative relation with self-care behaviors and health promotion folk healers in Yasothon province at the level of .05 of significance included bone folk healer and those of which the difference level of .01 of significance was found were single status, herbal folk healer, length of professional of 5 to 10 and 11 to 15 years.