Capacity of health centers for implementing health promotion in Nakhonsawan Province

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to determine capacity status, ascertain key potential of health centers for implementing health promotion and define strength and weakness of capacities of health centers for implementing health promotion. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by carrying on tested and revised questionnaires to all health centers in Nakhonsawan Province through provincial health office and all district health offices. Those were directly submitted to health centers and collected all completed questionnaires to researcher. Then data were entered and checked for completeness before analysis. The results showed that 168 out of 189 respondents (88.9%) returned self-administered questionnaires. Most of them (75.6%) are from health centers. There are 7.9 in average of amount of responsible villages or communities. Almost all (96.4%) located in Tambon Administrative Office’s area. The majority have appropriate capacities for implementing health promotion that mean score are higher than 3. However, there are some difficulties with health workers whom supported from health centers, those are resources support, human resources, accessing and enough of budgeting support and needed tools and infrastructure are inappropriate and not enough. Individual capacity, commitment, has highest mean score of all sub-domains with 4.0. That means strength of health centers for implementing health. An environmental capacity, public opinion, has the lowest mean score sub-domain with 2.7, shows weakness of health centers. The effective capacity (related with several sub-domains) was individual planning and evaluation skill. It can be concluded that planning and evaluation skills are key potential to conduct more effective health promotion. Capacity for health promotion means having the knowledge, skills, commitment, and resources at the individual and organizational levels and in the wider environment to conduct effective health promotion. This study found critical factors of implementing health promotion those are inappropriate and lack of health promotion resources. Moreover, health centers in Nakhonsawan Province can execute more effective health promotion by providing more enough and appropriate resources for implementing health promotion.