The knowledge?behavior gap in use of health information

Abstract

Medical science offers an increasing quantity and quality of information to at-risk groups, but too often people in a state of information poverty lack access to knowledge that would benefit them. Further, people may “know” what approach they should take to improve their health or other living conditions, but for a variety of reasons may not act on that knowledge. Pacific Island immigrants to New Zealand are especially at risk from cervical cancer, but participate less in cervical screening services than New Zealanders of European descent. This study reports on perceived barriers among New Zealand Pacific women to the use of cervical screening and proposes solutions for improved access to these services. Imperatives of cultural topic avoidance, modesty, and religion created significant barriers to the topic of cervical screening. Respondents strongly favored sources of information that were mediated through their community groups but smear-takers were preferably non-Pacific in ethnicity. The respondents' lived experience of “community connectedness” defined them as distinct from recent U.S. studies where participants were seen as highly isolated in their social environments.