Factors Effecting the Selection for Health Services by Alternative Medicine of Consumers in Muang District, Nonthaburi Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study consumers' personal factors, motivating factors, factors influencing on to the decision to choose alternative medicine in Muang district, Nonthaburi province and 2) to study a relationship between motivating factors(marketing factors which included product, price, place, marketing promotion), health behavior, expectation, influencers to the decision, awareness of alternative medicine and the decision to choose alternative medicine of consumers in Mueng district, Nonthaburi province. Samples included 385 customers. A questionnaire was used as a tool to collect data. Statistics used in this research included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t- test, F-test or one-way analysis of variance, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Outcome of the study revealed that respondents with different monthly income did differ in their choice of alternative medicine.  Furthermore, the outcome of the research showed that there existed positive relationship, although the relationships were moderate, between the choice of alternative medicine and marketing factors (r=.574), expectation (r=.603), influencers to the decision (r=.686). The choice of alternative medicine on the part of consumers in Mueng district, Nonthaburi province was highly correlated to health behavior (r=.758).