The Effects of a Community Empowerment Program on Community Awareness and Capacity among Stakeholders in Diabetes Prevention in Buddhist Monks

Abstract

The incidence of diabetes among Buddhist monks has been increasing, because monks cannot exercise in the same way as the general population and depend on the community for their food. This study is a quasi-experimental design; pretest - posttest control group design. The aim was to examine the effects of a community empowerment program on community awareness and capacity among stakeholders in diabetes prevention in Buddhist monks. Sixty-seven participants who met the inclusion criteria were divided into two groups: participating in the community empowerment program (n = 34) and not participating (n = 33). The instruments used for data collection were a Demographic Data Form, the Community Awareness of Diabetes Prevention among Buddhist Monks Scale (CADS) and the Community Capacity in Diabetes Prevention among Buddhist Monks Scale (CCDPS). All instruments were tested for validity and reliability before use. Results were analyzed between the experimental and control group at each point of measurement. Descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Results showed the mean of all scores for CADS and CCDPS of the group who participated in community empowerment program at the end of the program and three months after the end of the program were significantly higher than those not participating in the program (p < .01). The community empowerment program, therefore, is a valid tool to increase community awareness and capacity in diabetes prevention among Buddhist monks. This program is recommended for use in other communities where the same situation arises.