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Journal of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine Vol. 6 No. 1 January-April 2008 ı˜

Abstract
Effectiveness of Dhammanamai for Health Behavioral Change among Chiang Rai Government
Officers
Mayuree Wangrairot
Chiang Rai Public Health Office, Chiang Rai Province
The objective of this cross-sectional study design was to determine the effectiveness of the Dhammanamai
program in changing health behavior among government officers in Chiang Rai Province. The study popu-
lation comprised government officers or retirees at the local and provincial levels and the study was conducted
from April to September 2007. They were required to attend the three-day training course of Thai Traditional
Medicine on Dhammanamai developed by the researcher. Prior to the training and six months after the
training, the subjects were requested to answer the questionnaire previously tested for validity and reliability.
It was found that, of 409 people attending the training, 258 subjects (63.24%) answered the questionnaire
twice and the result could be evaluated. Of these, 41.86 percent were male and 58.14 percent were female;
their average age was 53.4 years. It was found that there were four types of exercise which showed statisti-
cally significant changes in health behaviors before and after the training, i.e., Qigong (p = 0.005), running (p
< 0.000), jogging (p < 0.000), and Ruesi Dutton (p < 0.000). In addition, two other health behaviors were
significantly improved: holding urination (p = 0.025) and performing meditation (p = 0.000). It is suggested
that the training program should be conducted on more than one occasion and extended to more target groups.
Key words: Dhammanamai, health behavior, government officers, Chiang Rai Province