Health information of Portuguese population: Knowledge and perceived quality and accessibility of health information sources
Health information of Portuguese population: Knowledge and perceived quality and accessibility of health information sources
Knowledge on health promoting and preventing factors, as disease prevention factors, and on health risk factors is one of the main determinants for healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Therefore, the effectiveness of public health interventions requires the understanding of the level of knowledge of the population in question, in order to strategically plan for awareness and information actions that aim for health promoting behavioral changes. This project aims to describe the current state of that knowledge, as well as the perception of the accessibility and quality of information sources available to the Portuguese to acquire information on four very prevalent and relevant diseases in terms of public health (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer), as well as to identify critical factors of communicative, social and clinical nature that can influence the acquisition of that knowledge. In that context, the project will be developed in two stages. The first aims at the assessment of the current level of knowledge, as well as the accessibility and quality of information sources available to the Portuguese to acquire information on these diseases. Based on an observational and cross-sectional inquiry, data is gathered from a questionnaire conceived and validated regarding the target population and research goals, on a face-to-face interview basis accounting for a representative sample of the Portuguese continental population ranging from 16 to 79 years of age (in 2010). The questionnaire aims at measuring the knowledge and the perceived quality and accessibility of the health information sources, specifically regarding prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of each of the above mentioned diseases, as they were considered priority within the National Health Plan for 2004-2010. As it is the main methodological instrument for the investigation, the questionnaire will take into account - along with the systematic review of the literature and the exhaustive inventory of the existing questionnaires on the subject - the implementation of focus groups encompassing health professionals, patients and general public (i.e. not regarding known morbidity). A research instrument providing good content validity is therefore expected, along with enough sensitivity as to detect differences amongst socioeconomic groups and different assessment periods. The second stage aims to understand the impact of the dissemination of specific information on health issues on the knowledge available to the population. From an operational standpoint, a second period of data gathering is expected in 2012, based on a sub-sample extracted from the main sample established during the first stage. This sub-sample will be built from subjects that will accept to receive contents and information produced and distributed within the Harvard Medical School- Portugal Program between the first and second data gathering periods. This sub-sample will be weighted in order to be representative of the Portuguese continental population between the ages of 16 and 79. Therefore, the project outputs will consist in (a) establishing a baseline on existing knowledge amongst the Portuguese population between the ages of 16 and 79, in 2010, regarding the four mentioned diseases, and (b) assessing in what measure and in which circumstances can an information program alter the content of that health related knowledge.
Diseases; Information health, Information health sources; Risk factors
Knowledge on health promoting and preventing factors, as disease prevention factors, and on health risk factors is one of the main determinants for healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Therefore, the effectiveness of public health interventions requires the understanding of the level of knowledge of the population in question, in order to strategically plan for awareness and information actions that aim for health promoting behavioral changes. This project aims to describe the current state of that knowledge, as well as the perception of the accessibility and quality of information sources available to the Portuguese to acquire information on four very prevalent and relevant diseases in terms of public health (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer), as well as to identify critical factors of communicative, social and clinical nature that can influence the acquisition of that knowledge. In that context, the project will be developed in two stages. The first aims at the assessment of the current level of knowledge, as well as the accessibility and quality of information sources available to the Portuguese to acquire information on these diseases. Based on an observational and cross-sectional inquiry, data is gathered from a questionnaire conceived and validated regarding the target population and research goals, on a face-to-face interview basis accounting for a representative sample of the Portuguese continental population ranging from 16 to 79 years of age (in 2010). The questionnaire aims at measuring the knowledge and the perceived quality and accessibility of the health information sources, specifically regarding prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of each of the above mentioned diseases, as they were considered priority within the National Health Plan for 2004-2010. As it is the main methodological instrument for the investigation, the questionnaire will take into account - along with the systematic review of the literature and the exhaustive inventory of the existing questionnaires on the subject - the implementation of focus groups encompassing health professionals, patients and general public (i.e. not regarding known morbidity). A research instrument providing good content validity is therefore expected, along with enough sensitivity as to detect differences amongst socioeconomic groups and different assessment periods. The second stage aims to understand the impact of the dissemination of specific information on health issues on the knowledge available to the population. From an operational standpoint, a second period of data gathering is expected in 2012, based on a sub-sample extracted from the main sample established during the first stage. This sub-sample will be built from subjects that will accept to receive contents and information produced and distributed within the Harvard Medical School- Portugal Program between the first and second data gathering periods. This sub-sample will be weighted in order to be representative of the Portuguese continental population between the ages of 16 and 79. Therefore, the project outputs will consist in (a) establishing a baseline on existing knowledge amongst the Portuguese population between the ages of 16 and 79, in 2010, regarding the four mentioned diseases, and (b) assessing in what measure and in which circumstances can an information program alter the content of that health related knowledge.