Kreps G L, Ruben B D, Baker M W, Rosenthal S R
Public Health Rep. 1987 May-Jun;102(3):270-7.
Increasing emphasis in recent years has been placed on health promotion, prevention, and the self-management of health care. These strategies presume the public has sufficient levels of relevant health information, as well as necessary attitudes and skills for the effective use of this information in the management of their own health care. This study tests this assumption as it relates to the level of public knowledge of digestive health and disease, a major health concern affecting an estimated 1 in 10 Americans. This paper reports results of a telephone survey of a representative national sample administered to 1,250 Americans in May 1983 that was designed to assess their level of information about digestive health and disease, comfort in communicating about digestive problems, and preference for health information sources. The results indicate that the American public is largely uninformed and misinformed about digestive health and disease, and they underscore the need for disseminating relevant health information about digestive health and disease to the public to facilitate prevention of digestive health problems and self-management of digestive health care. Health information dissemination is severely complicated by the widespread stigma associated with digestive topics, manifested in the American public's general discomfort in communicating with others about digestive health. These factors necessitate development of sensitive and pervasive digestive health promotion and education programs in the United States.
近年来，人们越来越重视健康促进、预防以及医疗保健的自我管理。这些策略假定公众拥有足够的相关健康信息，以及在自我医疗保健管理中有效利用这些信息所需的态度和技能。本研究检验了这一假设，因为它与消化健康和疾病的公众知识水平有关，消化健康和疾病是一个影响约十分之一美国人的主要健康问题。本文报告了1983年5月对1250名美国人进行的一项具有全国代表性样本的电话调查结果，该调查旨在评估他们关于消化健康和疾病的信息水平、交流消化问题的舒适度以及对健康信息来源的偏好。结果表明，美国公众在很大程度上对消化健康和疾病了解不足且信息有误，这些结果强调了向公众传播有关消化健康和疾病的相关健康信息的必要性，以促进消化健康问题的预防和消化医疗保健的自我管理。与消化主题相关的普遍污名严重阻碍了健康信息的传播，这表现为美国公众在与他人交流消化健康问题时普遍感到不适。这些因素使得在美国开展敏感且广泛的消化健康促进和教育项目成为必要。
