THE EFFECTS OF HEALTH PROMOTION ACTIVITIES ON STUDENTS AND STAFF AT PHRANAKHON RAJABHAT UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This research is a quasi-experimental study with two main objectives: (1) to investigate the factors influencing engagement in physical activity for health promotion among students and staff at Phranakhon Rajabhat University, and (2) to evaluate the outcomes of a health promotion program focused on enhancing knowledge and encouraging physical activity among the same target groups. A purposive sampling method was used to select a total of 193 participants, comprising 174 students and 19 staff members. The research instruments included: (1) a questionnaire on knowledge about physical activity, (2) an attitude scale toward physical activity for health promotion, (3) a physical activity questionnaire, and (4) an exercise behavior scale. These instruments were validated for content validity by three experts in health and physical education, resulting in an Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) of 0.85. Reliability testing yielded Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.80 to 0.92, and item discrimination indices (r) between 0.50 and 0.90. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests at a significance level of 0.05.

          The results revealed statistically significant improvements among participants after the intervention: (1) the average Body Mass Index (BMI) decreased from 23.01 to 22.69, (2) knowledge scores increased from 3.92 to 4.73, (3) attitude scores improved from 15.21 to 20.88, (4) daily physical activity behavior scores rose from 9.49 to 19.57, and (5) exercise behavior scores also increased from 9.49 to 19.57. All changes were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. These findings indicate that the health promotion activities implemented at Phranakhon Rajabhat University were effective in enhancing the health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of both students and staff.