Diagnosis is not enough: Selective behavior change after chronic disease onset in Thailand

Health shocks-such as new diagnoses of chronic disease-can disrupt daily life and create potential "teachable moments" for behavioral improvement. Yet, existing evidence on post-diagnosis behavior change remains mixed and largely limited to high-income countries. This study addresses a major empirical gap by examining whether chronic disease diagnoses are associated with measurable within-person changes in health behaviors among middle-aged and older adults in Thailand, a rapidly aging middle-income society. We analyzed four waves (2015-2022) of the Health, Aging, and Retirement in Thailand (H