Mboera Leonard E G, Rumisha Susan F, Senkoro Kesheni P, Mayala Benjamin K, Shayo Elizabeth H, Kisinza W N
National Institute for Medical Research, P.O. Box 9653, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
East Afr J Public Health. 2007 Apr;4(1):33-9.
To explore and identify gaps in knowledge and information communication at all levels of health delivery system in Tanzania.
In-depth interviews and twelve Focus Group Discussions were conducted to capture information on the community knowledge on different health problems and the health information communication process. Interviews and discussions were also held with primary schoolchildren, traditional healers, health facility workers and district health management team members. Documentary review and inventory of the available health education materials at community, health facility and district levels, was made.
Major community health and health-related problems included diseases (61.6%), lack of potable water (36.5%), frequent famine (26.9%) and lack of health facility services (253%). Malaria, HIV/AIDS and diarrhoeal diseases were the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Most of the health communication packages covered communicable diseases and their prevention. Health care facility was the main (91.6%) source of health information for most communities. Public meetings, radio and print materials were the most frequently used channels of health information communication. Major constraints in adopting health education messages included poverty, inappropriate health education, ignorance and local beliefs.
This study has identified gaps in health knowledge and information communication in Tanzania. There is lack of adequate knowledge and information exchange capacities among the health providers and the ability to share that information with the targeted community. Moreover, although the information gets to the community, most of them are not able to utilize it properly because they lack the necessary background knowledge.
探索并识别坦桑尼亚卫生服务体系各级在知识和信息传播方面的差距。
开展了深入访谈和12次焦点小组讨论，以获取关于社区对不同健康问题的了解以及健康信息传播过程的信息。还与小学生、传统治疗师、卫生机构工作人员和地区卫生管理团队成员进行了访谈和讨论。对社区、卫生机构和地区层面现有的健康教育材料进行了文献回顾和清点。
主要的社区健康及与健康相关的问题包括疾病（61.6%）、缺乏饮用水（36.5%）、频繁饥荒（26.9%）和缺乏卫生机构服务（25.3%）。疟疾、艾滋病毒/艾滋病和腹泻病是发病和死亡的主要原因。大多数健康传播内容涵盖传染病及其预防。卫生保健机构是大多数社区健康信息的主要来源（91.6%）。公众会议、广播和印刷材料是最常用的健康信息传播渠道。采纳健康教育信息的主要制约因素包括贫困、不适当的健康教育、无知和当地信仰。
本研究已识别出坦桑尼亚在健康知识和信息传播方面的差距。卫生服务提供者之间缺乏足够的知识和信息交流能力，也缺乏与目标社区分享这些信息的能力。此外，尽管信息传递到了社区，但大多数人由于缺乏必要的背景知识而无法正确利用这些信息。
