Active ageing among older Thai adults in north-eastern Thailand – implementing the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle

Sammanfattning: Active ageing is agreed as the national agenda by the Thai Government to sustain the older population to live well in society as a valued resource. Activities to promote active ageing are often provided in group formats, initiated by health providers, and often without promoting capacity and responsibility to enhance active ageing by older adults themselves. Therefore, a model which encourages this capacity and responsibility in older adults and suits Thai healthcare traditions is needed. This thesis aims to explore and describe older Thai adults’ experiences of enhancing active ageing by implementing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. The cycle was applied to group meetings named Lomwong Saangsook (LS) meetings. Study I explored how older Thai adults experience and describe active ageing through its basic pillars of health, participation, and security based on individual interviews which were analysed with qualitative content analysis. Active ageing was described related to local culture and living context. Health was described as the ability to maintain daily living and an adaptive mindset. Participation was described as maintaining social networks, being valuable and respected. Security was described in relation to children and having manageable living conditions as well as managing to finalize life well. Study II explored interactions among older adults during participating in LS-meetings. Participant observation with thematic analysis was used. The PDSA cycle supported them to reach their individual goals of lifestyle change to enhance active ageing in group contexts. Study III explored experiences of applying the PDSA cycle among older Thai adults by conducting focus group interviews with thematic analysis. The PDSA cycle provided the environment to learn in a group dynamic with the support of moderators. Study IV described older adults´ experiences of lifestyle changes six months after finishing carrying out the meetings. Individual interviews and content analysis were conducted. Some older Thai adults kept their individual goals and adjusted the routes to reach these goals so they were suited to their own context. They also formed other new goals inspired by knowledge gained during the LS-meetings and the success of other members. Thai older adults have their own perspectives on active ageing through its three basic pillars. They have capacity and responsibility to take the initiative to enhance their own active ageing by applying the PDSA cycle. Findings can be applied to create practices to support enhancing active ageing for the older Thai population.