The Effect of Health Awareness Days, Weeks, and Months: Can They Change Health Behavior?

Abstract

Health awareness days, weeks, and months are designed for public education about a disease or condition. They can help educate patients on their conditions, or on the overall disease burden of their conditions, however, they were not primarily created to do so. There is some evidence that they can be effective in increasing information seeking behavior about a disease or a condition, but there is not sufficient evidence to show that they change health behavior by leading to individuals seeking out screenings, diagnosis, or treatment. More research is needed to examine the effects of health awareness events on health behavior and on attitudes toward stigmatized diseases or conditions. An exploration of health awareness events and their purpose is presented, along with a discussion of partnerships with libraries and associated professional organizations.