Hypertension is becoming increasingly prevalent among the elderly. Family caregivers play an important role in caring for elderly people and empowering them to care for themselves. This study’s goal was to see how social support training for family caregivers affected changes in hypertension, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and how such support led to the prevention of hypertension behaviors among the elderly in rural areas. This was a quasi-experimental study with 268 elderly people at risk of hypertension and their caregivers. Sixty seven pairs of elderly people and their caregivers were assigned to the intervention and control groups. Baseline data were collected in November 2020. The intervention group received the Social Support Family Caregiver Training Program (SSFCTP), while the control group received a regular program from the local health authority. The activity lasted 12 weeks, with home visits and telephone check-ups along the way, and data collection took place after the program ended. The final data were collected three months after the end of the intervention. An analysis of repeated measures ANOVA showed the overall effect of the SSFCTP on knowledge, self-efficacy, health care behaviors, and blood pressure among elderly people during three different time periods (p<0.05). Furthermore, the intervention program had a time-dependent effect on knowledge, blood pressure, and total cholesterol levels (p<0.05). In terms of caregiver outcomes, there was an overall difference among the degrees of knowledge, self-efficacy, and behaviors toward health care displayed by elderly hypertensive patients during the three different time periods (p<0.05). The average knowledge and self-efficacy of the participants improved after the intervention. As a result, better self-care behaviors and lower blood pressure and total cholesterol levels were observed among the elderly participants after the intervention. The programs emphasized the importance of caregivers’ roles in providing social support, boosting confidence, and encouraging participation in caring, monitoring, and assisting the elderly in controlling blood pressure and other health issues.

(1) Background: the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak (COVID-19) has posed a major threat to public health and had a significant impact on all areas of people’s lives. Vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed to control the disease, and an array of personal hygiene measures has been introduced. As a result, information that will support and promote vaccination among populations as well as other health measures against COVID-19 are urgently needed. The goal of this research was to look into the knowledge about COVID-19 and how it relates to preventive behaviors and vaccination among people living in rural areas of northern Thailand. (2) Methods: a cross-sectional study was performed in four upper northern provinces of Thailand. A total of 1524 participants were recruited using the probability sampling technique. Questionnaires were distributed to collect data on general health information, as well as knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19. (3) Results: more than half (55.9%) of the participants were female and had not received the COVID-19 vaccine (67.2%). Their mean age was 44.13 years. The majority had moderate COVID-19 knowledge and engaged in preventive behaviors (65.5% and 42.0%, respectively). A linear regression model showed that the COVID-19 knowledge score was related to the COVID-19 preventive behaviors score, with a standardized coefficient of 0.510, after adjusting for age, underlying disease, and body mass index (B = 2.64; 95%CI = 2.42, 2.87). Binary logistic regression revealed that after controlling for age, education, occupation, financial status, and current disease (AOR = 1.87; 95%CI = 1.64–2.13), the score of COVID-19 knowledge was significantly associated with having the COVID-19 vaccine. (4) Discussion: knowledge of COVID-19 is very important for people in rural regions to engage in COVID-19 prevention behaviors and vaccination. Relevant government agencies and health network partners should support proactive education campaigns emphasizing the risk of contracting the disease and its severity in order to promote vaccination against COVID-19 among unvaccinated groups. These campaigns can highlight COVID-19’s positive benefit-risk balance in the short and long term and ensure public safety measures against COVID-19.

Anthropometric indices, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist to height ratio (WHtR), have limitations in accurately predicting the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome due to ethnic differences in fat distribution. Recent studies showed that the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) deposition and fat content of internal organs, most notably intra-hepatic and intra-pancreatic fat, has emerged as a more important parameter. In this study, we aimed to assess the coordination between the traditional anthropometric indices and the various fat depositions within different ethnicities in New Zealand. We recruited 104 participants with different ethnic backgrounds, including New Zealand Europeans, Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand), Pacific Islanders (PI), and Asians. Their weight, height, and WC were measured, and subcutaneous, visceral, intra-hepatic, and intra-pancreatic fat depositions were obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The result showed VAT, but not subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) depositions at all levels were significantly varied among the three groups. BMI was associated best with L23SAT in NZ Europeans (30%) and L45VAT in Māori/PI (24.3%). WC and WHtR were correlated well with L45SAT in the total population (18.8% and 12.2%, respectively). Intra-pancreatic fat deposition had a positive Pearson relationship with NZ European BMI and Māori/PI WC, but no regression correlation with anthropometric indices. Conventional anthropometric indices did not correspond to the same fat depositions across different ethnic groups.

Background: Ethnic minorities working in the agricultural industry in Thai border communities face a crisis of obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to diet and less physical activity. The objective was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and lipid markers in this population. Methods: This is an observational, cross-sectional study among ethnic minorities in Thai border communities (n=468). We collected medical history and clinical data through exams and a questionnaire. We evaluated the association between categorical variables using the Chi-square test, and the association between variables using the point-biserial correlation test. Results: Among all participants, the average BMI was 24.68 ± 4.49 kg/m²; average total cholesterol (TC) was 202.95 ± 42.57 mg/dL; average high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 52.54 ± 12.49 mg/dL; and average low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was 121.32 ± 34.08 mg/dL. BMI levels were associated with gender, TC levels, and HDL-C levels. There was a weak, positive correlation between BMI and gender (r = 0.124, p = 0.007), and between BMI and TC (r = 0.155, p = 0.001); BMI was negatively correlated with HDL-C (r = -0.182, p < 0.001). No correlation was found between BMI and LDL-C (r = 0.044, p = 0.342). Conclusion: Associations between BMI, gender, and lipid levels were observed in this study. Being overweight and obese were common among our participants. Those with higher BMI were more likely to have dyslipidemia. Health promotion activities aimed at lowering BMI levels may improve HDL and TC levels in this population. Keywords: Obesity, Lipid profile, Dyslipidemia, Agricultural workers, Ethnic minority