Health Education Leaflet Research Articles

Evaluation of Two Different Approaches to Health Education (Tailored Leaflet vs Video) on Referral Compliance for Prosthetic Replacement of Missing Teeth Among the Patients at a University Dental Care Center.

To assess whether a health education video increased prosthodontic treatment demand for replacing missing teeth compared to a traditional health education (IEC) leaflet among patients visiting a university dental care center in Saudi Arabia. A nonrandomized educational intervention was conducted among patients with missing teeth. A total of 350 participants were divided equally into two health-education intervention groups: leaflet group and video group. Two major variants were ascertained: demand for prosthodontic dental care and awareness (knowledge) about the importance of replacing missing teeth. These two variants were studied for the difference in the scores between base line and at the end of the program (after 3 months). Bivariate analysis was done with chi-square test, McNemar chi-square test, and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests, and finally binary logistic regression analysis was done. The final analysis included 324 participants. There was improvement in both knowledge and demand for prosthodontic care in both the groups after health education, but a statistically significant improvement in demand for dental care was observed in the video group compared to the leaflet group (42.9% vs 63.2%). Logistic regression analysis identified that missing teeth in the anterior region and being in the video group were two significant factors associated with increased demand for care. The health education video method was found to be a more effective method compared to leaflets in improving knowledge and demand for replacing missing teeth.

Improvement on the Integrit Rate of the first fime inpatient hemodialysis nursing instruction

<p>治療前進行完整的護理指導可減輕病人對治療與照護的焦慮並提升自我照顧能力。統計本單位2019年11月-2020年3月護理指導完整率僅59.6%，經調查護理指導不完整原因為：護理人員因忙碌而忘記護理指導、透析中衛教時護理師被其他病人叫喚而中斷、護理師憑經驗衛教缺乏一致性、病人因透析中不舒服而未執行護理指導、部份護理指導沒有衛教單張、衛教單張字體不合適且都是文字缺乏圖表說明、介入護理指導時機太晚、缺乏護理指導後交班與查核機制。透過文獻查證後選定七項改善對策：修訂護理指導執行內容、規劃交班內容並將衛教紀錄單資訊化導入提醒設計、審閱與制定衛教單張並集結成透析前訪視手冊、新增首次血液透析前訪視護理指導方式、制定護理指導查核作業、製作多媒體影片、QR code連結指導單張及影片。經改善對策後，住院病人首次接受血液透析護理指導完整率由59.6％提升至100％，並間接提升病人滿意度，達本專案目標且對護理照護品質有正面肯定。</p> <p> </p><p>This project is aiming to increase the integrity rate of the nursing instruction for the first time hospitalized patients hemodialysis. complete rate of nursing instruction can reduce patients’ anxiety about their treatment and care as well as improve their self-care ability. Statistic showed, from November 2019 to March 2020, the Integrity rate of nursing instruction was only 59.6%. </p> <p>After clinical investigation, incomplete nursing instruction is the cause, nine improvement countermeasures were provided after literature review they are: revising the implementation content of nursing instruction, specifying guidance items to be included in the shift handover, formulating health education leaflet, making the pre-dialysis visit pamphlet and multimedia video, Standardizing the information and reminder design of health education recording sheet, adding nursing instruction for the first Pre-hemodialysis visit, developing nursing guidance inspection program and QR code linked guidance leaflet and videos. </p> <p>After these strategies were executed, the complete rate of the first time hospitalized patients receiving hemodialysis nursing instruction increased from 59.6% to 100%, and the patient satisfaction has been indirectly improved. This project successfully achieved its objectives, and the quality of nursing care was also improved positively.</p> <p> </p>

The Nursing Experience of Caring for a Patient Undergoing Peritoneal Dialysis for Leakage of Catheter

<p>本文描述一位罹患末期腎病病人初次接受腹膜透析治療因導管滲漏引發傷口皮膚不適及焦慮情緒之護理經驗。護理期間為2019年1月2日至2019年3月8日，筆者運用Gordon十一項健康功能評估為指引，透過直接照護、會談、觀察和查閱病歷等方式收集資料分析，確立個案有：營養狀況少於身體所需、潛在危險性感染及焦慮等健康問題。護理過程中，會診營養師並藉手機APP、衛教單張及影片來增進其對透析飲食的認知，以達到營養狀況改善；協助指導導管傷口的照護，遵守無菌原則換藥，避免皮膚受損預防感染發生；採取主動關懷，鼓勵說出內心感受，協同醫師說明再次手術過程增進信心，教導放鬆技巧及精油按摩，以減低焦慮感。希望此照顧經驗，能提供臨床照護類似個案之參考。</p> <p> </p><p>This article describes the nursing experience of a patient suffering from end-stage renal disease undergoing peritoneal dialysis for the first time because of catheter leakage caused by wound skin discomfort and anxiety. The nursing period is from January 2 to March 8,2019.The author used Gordon’s eleven health function assessments as a guide to collect data and analyze through direct care, interviews, observations, and medical records. The problems are as follows: Health problems such as nutritional status less than what the body needs, potentially dangerous infections and anxiety. During the nursing process, consult a nutritionist and use the mobile phone APP and Health Education Leaflet and video to enhance the cognition of dialysis diet, so as to improve the nutritional status; assist in guiding the care of catheter wounds, follow the principle of aseptic techniques, and avoid skin damage to prevent infection；Take active care, encourage patient present inner feelings, cooperate with the doctor to explain the procedure again to increase confidence, teach relaxation techniques and massage with essential oils to reduce anxiety. I hope that this care experience can provide a reference for clinical care of similar cases.</p> <p> </p>

Evaluation of two different approaches of health education (Tailored leaflet vs Video) on referral compliance for prosthetic replacement of missing teeth among the patients at a university dental care center.

Prosthodontic replacement of missing teeth is necessary to maintain function, aesthetics and prevent further oral complications. To assess whether health education 'video' increased prosthodontics treatment demand for replacing missing teeth compared to traditional health education (IEC) 'leaflet' among patients visiting a university dental care centre, Saudi Arabia. A non-randomized educational intervention was conducted among the patients who had missing teeth. 350 participants were divided equally into two interventions groups- health education leaflet group and health education video group. Two major variants were ascertained; demand for prosthodontic dental care and awareness (knowledge) about importance of replacement of missing teeth. These two variants were studied for the difference in the scores between base line and at the end of the program i.e. after 3 months. Bivariate analysis was done with Chi square test, Mc Nemar Chi-square test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs tests and finally binary logistic regression analysis was done. Final analysis included 324 participants. There was improvement in both knowledge and demand for prosthodontic care in both the groups after health education, but statistically significant improvement in demand for dental care was observed in the health education video group compared to leaflet group (42.9% vs 63.2%). Logistic regression analysis identified that having missing teeth in anterior region of jaw and being into video group were two significant factors associated with increased demand for care. Health education video method was found to be effective method compared to leaflets in improving knowledge and demand for replacing missing teeth.

Effects of multimedia-based fall prevention education on the knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors of patients.

Patient safety is regarded as a critical quality monitoring indicator for medical institutions. The effects of a multimedia-based patient education intervention on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding fall prevention were observed. The study had a quasi-experimental research design and enrolled 140 participants. Seventy participants in the experimental group received multimedia-based patient education and a health education leaflet, while those in the control group received only the health education leaflet. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection at baseline, and a posttest was applied after the intervention. The participants were predominantly treated in the gastroenterology department (45.7%), followed by the pulmonology department (33.6%). A total of 86.4% of patients had not experienced a fall within 3 months. After the intervention, the average scores for all variables in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group. The results indicate that attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors regarding fall prevention among patients in the pulmonology department were higher than those among patients in the gastroenterology department; the differences were statistically significant. The individualized health education content was of substantial significance for patients with different disease backgrounds and facilitated changes in their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding falls. Multimedia-based patient education influenced inpatients' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors for preventing falls.

Advancing oral health policy for mandatory dental screening before admission into public primary and secondary schools in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background:The oral health of children is a significant public health issue that considerably affects nutritional intake, growth and development, daily learning activities, sleep pattern, self-esteem, and quality of life. In Nigeria, limited progress has been made in reducing the prevalence and burden of oral health problems such as dental caries, Noma, and oral cancer due to absence of national data, inadequate budgetary allocation, dearth of personnel, poor policy framework/implementation, and challenges of care access. Lagos state has a large, diverse population, hampered by illiteracy and poverty, and school-based dental screening is a strategy that can potentially reduce the prevalence of oral diseases among a vulnerable population in resource-poor settings. This document proposes secondary prevention through screening for a significant proportion of children in Lagos State and will be a veritable source of Data for oral Health planning.Proposed Interventions:A draft policy document is proposed for the Ministry of health for legislation mandating a low-cost comprehensive oral health examination to screen every child admitted into Primary or Secondary School in any of the State Government-owned Schools in Lagos State. Each child will receive an oral health education leaflet and a duplicated annual dental screening form in addition to all the other requirements he will provide before being cleared for resumption when the academic year commences. The parents of the child will then be expected to present the form at any of the Lagos State-owned General hospitals for dental screening. The children will receive expedited attention and will not be kept waiting unnecessarily before being attended to. Students who have any form of dental disease will however be required to open a dental card at the clinic and have their treatments done as soon as possible. Except the dental treatment is found to be very expensive, the parents would be firmly encouraged to have the treatment done before the academic year commences and the form can be filled and signed. The school authorities would be notified if the parents cannot bear the cost and the ministry of health would be duly informed. Once the child is examined and found to be free of dental disease, the form can be filled and signed by the attending dental practitioner and duly stamped. A duplicate would be retained in a dedicated file in the dental clinic while the main form will be returned to the school. The schools will keep the forms in a dedicated file and at the end of each admission cycle, a report on the oral health status of the children for each school must be submitted to the Ministries of Education and Health. The preferred format for submission should be an excel spreadsheet containing the biodata and the summary of dental findings and treatment provided as applicable for each child.Evaluation:Short and long term evaluation will be done to assess coverage rate, the number of dental diseases identified, number of treatments done, the satisfaction of parents and children with the services while the cost-benefit analysis of the services will be determined using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of these analyses will be utilized to justify further government commitment of resources to this program.Conclusion:Strategies to reduce the burden of disease in developing countries must focus on policy design/implementation and preventive interventions. This proposed policy can help to decrease or eliminate barriers to access. It can also increase the number of children who will receive both preventive and curative oral care and also improve their knowledge of oral health.

Effect of Health Education Demonstration Method and Leaflet Media about Consciousness on Knowledge and Attitude of Hormonal KB Acceptors

Breast cancer is a disease with characterized by uncontrolled development of cells and breast tissue. Women who has to use acceptors Hormonal contraception (Hormonal KB) has a risk of developing breast cancer. Self Breast Examination (BSE) or Periksa Payudara Sendiri (SADARI) is one of the easier and more efficient ways to be able to detect breast abnormalities by yourself. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of health education by demonstration methods and leaflet media on breast self-examination of the knowledge and attitudes of WUS hormonal family planning acceptors about SADARI. This study was a quasi experiment: pretest-posttest design. The population was divided into 3 groups, namely groups given health education with leaflets, with demonstration methods, and a combination of leaflets + demonstrations. The results showed that the knowledge and attitudes of respondents before and after health education with leaflet media, demonstration methods, and leaflet + demonstration media combinations experienced a significant increase with a value of p <0.05 (p = 0,000). The increase score in the value of the average rating of knowledge was statistically significant in the demonstration group better than the leaflet group. The difference in the average value of the demonstration and demonstration group rankings + leaflets is not meaningful. 

Assessment of Breast Feeding Practice and the Developmental Quotient among Toddlers in Selected Anganwadis at Pondicherry-In A View to Develop A Health Education Leaflet

Assessment of Breast Feeding Practice and the Developmental Quotient among Toddlers in Selected Anganwadis at Pondicherry-In A View to Develop A Health Education Leaflet

Screening and brief interventions for hazardous and harmful alcohol use among patients with active tuberculosis attending primary public care clinics in South Africa: results from a cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn 2008 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that South Africa had the highest tuberculosis (TB) incidence in the world. This high incidence rate is linked to a number of factors, including HIV co-infection and alcohol use disorders. The diagnosis and treatment package for TB and HIV co-infection is relatively well established in South Africa. However, because alcohol use disorders may present more insidiously, making it difficult to diagnose, those patients with active TB and misusing alcohol are not easily cured from TB. With this in mind, the primary purpose of this cluster randomized controlled trial was to provide screening for alcohol misuse and to test the effectiveness of brief interventions in reducing alcohol intake in those patients with active TB found to be misusing alcohol in primary public health care clinics in three districts in South Africa.MethodsWithin each of the three provinces targeted, one district with the highest TB burden was selected. Furthermore, 14 primary health care facilities with the highest TB caseload in each district were selected. In each district, 7 of the 14 (50%) clinics were randomly assigned to a control arm and another 7 of the 14 (50%) clinics assigned to intervention arm. At the clinic level systematic sampling was used to recruit newly diagnosed and retreatment TB patients. Those consenting were screened for alcohol misuse using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Patients who screened positive for alcohol misuse over a 6-month period were given either a brief intervention based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) Model or an alcohol use health education leaflet.ResultsOf the 4882 tuberculosis patients screened for alcohol and agreed to participate in the trial, 1196 (24.6%) tested positive for the AUDIT. Among the 853 (71%) patients who also attended the 6-month follow-up session, the frequency of positive screening results at baseline/follow-up were 100/21.2% for the AUDIT (P < 0.001) for the control group and 100/16.8% (P < 0.001) for the intervention group. The intervention effect on the AUDIT score was statistically not significant. The intervention effect was also not significant for hazardous or harmful drinkers and alcohol dependent drinkers (AUDIT: 7–40), alcohol dependent drinkers and heavy episodic drinking, while the control group effect was significant for hazardous drinkers (AUDIT: 7–19) (P = 0.035).ConclusionThe results suggest that alcohol screening and the provision of a health education leaflet on sensible drinking performed at the beginning of anti-tuberculosis treatment in public primary care settings may be effective in reducing alcohol consumption.Trial registrationsPACTR201105000297151

Screening and brief interventions for hazardous and harmful alcohol use among hospital outpatients in South Africa: results from a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundHigh prevalence rates of hazardous and harmful alcohol use have been found in a hospital outpatient setting in South Africa. Hospital settings are a particularly valuable point of contact for the delivery of brief interventions because of the large access to patient populations each year. With this in mind, the primary purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to provide screening for alcohol misuse and to test the effectiveness of brief interventions in reducing alcohol intake among hospital outpatients in South Africa.MethodsThe study design for this effectiveness study is a randomized controlled trial with 6- and 12-month follow-ups to examine the effects of a brief alcohol intervention to reduce alcohol use by hazardous or harmful drinkers in a hospital setting. Outpatients were screened for alcohol problems, and those identified as hazardous or harmful drinkers were randomized into an experimental or control group. The experimental group received one brief counselling session on alcohol risk reduction, while the control group received a health education leaflet.ResultsOf the 1419 screened for alcohol misuse who agreed to participate in the trial 392 (27.6%) screened positive for hazardous or harmful use on the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) (score 7/8-19) and 51 (3.6%) had an AUDIT score of 20 or more. Among the 282 (72%) hospital outpatients who also attended the 12-month follow-up session, the time effects on the AUDIT scores were significant [F (1,195 = 7.72), P < 0.01] but the intervention effect on the AUDIT score was statistically not significant [F (1,194 = 0.06), P < 0.804].ConclusionGiven the lack of difference in outcome between control and intervention group, alcohol screening and the provision of an alcohol health education leaflet may in itself cause reduction in drinking.Trial registrationPACTR201110000319392

Screening and brief interventions for hazardous and harmful alcohol use among university students in South Africa: results from a randomized controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) for alcohol problems among university students in South Africa. The study design for this efficacy study is a randomized controlled trial with 6- and 12-month follow-ups to examine the effects of a brief alcohol intervention to reduce alcohol use by hazardous and harmful drinkers in a university setting. The unit of randomization is the individual university student identified as a hazardous or harmful drinker attending public recruitment venues in a university campus. University students were screened for alcohol problems, and those identified as hazardous or harmful drinkers were randomized into an experimental or control group. The experimental group received one brief counseling session on alcohol risk reduction, while the control group received a health education leaflet. Results indicate that of the 722 screened for alcohol and who agreed to participate in the trial 152 (21.1%) tested positive for the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) (score 8 or more). Among the 147 (96.7%) university students who also attended the 12-month follow-up session, the intervention effect on the AUDIT score was −1.5, which was statistically significant (P = 0.009). Further, the depression scores marginally significantly decreased over time across treatment groups, while other substance use (tobacco and cannabis use), self-rated health status and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) scores did not change over time across treatment groups. The study provides evidence of effective brief intervention by assistant nurses with hazardous and harmful drinkers in a university setting in South Africa. The short duration of the brief intervention makes it a realistic candidate for use in a university setting.

The efficacy of a brief intervention to reduce alcohol misuse in patients with HIV in South Africa: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAlcohol abuse comes with risks for increased morbidity and mortality among patients with HIV. This study aims to determine the prevalence of alcohol use and other risk factors in a sample of primary care patients with HIV in South Africa and to assess a brief intervention to reduce the use of alcohol in this group.Methods/DesignA single-blinded randomized controlled trial is designed to determine the efficacy of a brief intervention to reduce hazardous alcohol use in patients with HIV. The study will be carried out on out-patients with HIV in two primary healthcare HIV clinics near Pretoria, South Africa. Alcohol use will be assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test questionnaire. Other data that will be collected relate to health-related quality of life, depression, sexual behavior, internalized AIDS stigma, HIV-related information and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (self-reported 7-day recall of missed doses, Visual Analog Scale and pill count). The intervention consists of a brief counseling session to reduce alcohol risk; the control group receives a health education leaflet.DiscussionThe findings will be important in the public health setting. If the intervention proves to be efficient, it could potentially be incorporated into the HIV care policy of the Ministry of Health.Trial registrationPan African Clinical trial Registry: PACTR201202000355384

Screening and brief intervention for alcohol problems in Dr George Mukhari Hospital out-patients in Gauteng, South Africa: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial protocol

BackgroundFor alcohol drinkers in South Africa it has been found that annual consumption per drinker is among the highest in the world. High prevalence rates of hazardous and harmful alcohol use have also been found in a hospital out-patient setting in South Africa. Hospital settings are a particularly valuable point of contact for the delivery of brief interventions because of the large access to patient populations each year. With this in mind, the primary purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to provide screening for alcohol misuse and to test the efficacy of brief interventions in reducing alcohol intake among hospital out-patients in South Africa.Methods/DesignThe study design for this efficacy study is a randomised controlled trial with 6- and 12-month follow-ups to examine the effects of a brief alcohol intervention to reduce alcohol use by problem drinkers in a hospital setting. The unit of randomisation is the individual out-patient identified as a medium risk drinker attending Dr George Mukhari Hospital. Out-patients will be screened for alcohol problems, and those identified as medium risk drinkers will be randomized into an experimental or control group. The experimental group will receive one brief counselling session on alcohol risk reduction, while the control group will receive a health education leaflet.DiscussionThe trial will evaluate the impact of alcohol screening and brief interventions for patients with alcohol problems in a hospital out-patient setting in South Africa. The findings will impact public health and will enable the health ministry to formulate policy related to brief alcohol interventions, which will result in reduction in alcohol use.Trial registrationPACTR201110000319392

School‐based intervention to promote preadolescents’ gingival health: a community trial

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a school-based oral health promotion intervention on preadolescents' gingival health. A community trial designed for a 3-month intervention study in a representative sample of 9-year-olds (n = 457) in 16 schools in Tehran, Iran. The schools were randomly assigned to three intervention groups and one control group, each group comprising two boys' and two girls' schools. The first group of children (n = 115) received intervention via class work, solving a set of puzzles containing oral health messages, under supervision of their health counsellor. The second group (n = 114), intervention via parents, included an oral health education leaflet and a brushing diary for supervising the child's tooth-brushing; the third group (n = 111) received a combination of both these interventions. The control group (n = 117) had no intervention. Effects of the intervention were assessed as changes in dental plaque and gingival bleeding. Improvements in gingival health were recorded when half of the index teeth with plaque at baseline became clean (acceptable oral hygiene) or when all index teeth with bleeding at baseline became healthy (healthy gingiva). Statistical analysis included chi square, anova, t-test, Number Needed to Treat (NNT) and generalized estimating equations (GEE). At baseline, none of the children were free of plaque and all except for three boys had bleeding. After the trial, acceptable oral hygiene was more frequent in the parental-aid (P < 0.001) and the combined groups (P < 0.05), and healthy gingiva in both groups (P < 0.001) in comparison with the control group. Outcomes in the class-work group did not differ from those in the control group. The GEE models confirmed a strong intervention effect on healthy gingiva in both groups where parents were involved: parental-aid group (OR = 7.7, 95% CI: 2.2-27.7) and combined group (OR = 6.6, 95% CI: 2.0-22.1). In all intervention groups more girls than boys achieved healthy gingiva (OR = 2.5-2.6). Parents' education showed no impact on the outcome. When a school-based oral health intervention involves parents it may result in a significant improvement in the gingival health of preadolescents with poor gingival health at baseline.

The effect of an intervention programme to improve health education leaflet uptake and distribution in community pharmacies

The effect of an intervention programme to improve health education leaflet uptake in community pharmacies was conducted with a small convenience sample of 12 community pharmacies in North Staffordshire, UK. The intervention consisted of four different modes of leaflet provision. Modes 1 and 2 (without and with overt offer of advice from pharmacist respectively) relied upon the pharmacy client to actively obtain a leaflet, whereas Modes 3 and 4 (without and with offer of advice from pharmacist respectively) relied upon pharmacy staff to actively provide a leaflet. All 12 community pharmacies received 50 copies of a purposefully designed leaflet. The intervention extended over one calendar month. Data was collected during the intervention via monitoring forms completed by the pharmacist on a day to day basis, and interviews were conducted with the pharmacists at the end of the study. The overall uptake or distribution rate of leaflets was 64%. In both modes which offered advice (Modes 2 and 4), approximately one of every five leaflet recipients sought advice. The community pharmacists considered the intervention to be feasible, effective and enabled the utilisation of their skills.

The BMA TP Gunton Award 1995: Development of a health education leaflet to promote early detection of oral cancer

Objective To develop a health education leaflet for early detection and risk reduction of oral cancer.Design The early detection, risk reduction and prevention messages were organised into a draft leaflet based on the theories of Ley, Bandura, Becker and Romano and tested by focus groups and self-completion questionnaires. Focus groups and surveys were carried out in the following settings: a health clinic, two department stores, a salt processing plant, a pharmaceuticals plant, a bakery and an office. A total of six focus groups, two from each socioeconomic group, comprised: Bengali women (two focus groups), department store workers (two focus groups), salt production workers and secretaries (one focus group of each).Fifty-eight bakery and pharmaceuticals employees of all levels completed a questionnaire. The ratings given to the leaflet by the survey were based on the criteria adapted from Romano, which were as follows: worth remembering, informative, believable, made its point, interesting, well done, contained anything new, was convincing, personally relevant, pleasant, frightening confusing, and engendered the intent to act differently in future.Results Both the focus groups and the survey revealed that the information in the leaflet was well received. Ninety-seven per cent (56) of those surveyed thought it was worth remembering, and 71% (41) of respondents said it was new to them. Mouth self-examination messages stood out most to 67% (39) of respondents. Forty-one per cent (24) of respondents expressed the intention of changing their behaviour.Conclusions Respondents' comments were used to inform the redrafting of the leaflet, which we hope to evaluate for behavioural outcomes in future. From the above results we conclude that the leaflet was successful in transmitting the main message, which stressed the need to perform mouth self-examination, and was successful in stimulating people to think about changing their behaviour. The leaflet is now in production, and we hope to evaluate its effectiveness in the near future.

Increasing compliance with colorectal cancer screening: the development of effective health education.

The ability of a health education leaflet to raise awareness of the frequency of colorectal cancer and its asymptomatic nature and to increase intention to participate in screening with faecal occult blood testing (FOBT) was investigated. One hundred subjects were interviewed before and after reading the leaflet. The number of men stating bowel cancer was 'very common' increased significantly from 20 to 60% (chi 2 = 16.7, P < 0.0001) and those understanding its asymptomatic nature form 64 to 92% (chi 2 = 11.4, P < 0.001). The leaflet significantly increased the percentage of women reporting bowel cancer as 'very common' from 30 to 70% (chi 2 = 16.0, P < 0.0001) and as being asymptomatic from 58 to 94% (chi 2 = 17.8, P < 0.0001). After reading the leaflet, 55% of men who initially declined screening reversed their decision (chi 2 16.5, P < 0.0001) and 50% of female non-adherers reversed their decision (chi 2 = 17.3, P < 0.0001). Reasons most frequently given for declining colorectal cancer screening were feeling well (77% of subjects declining), concern about further tests (38%), unpleasantness of FOBT (13%) and illness (6%). This leaflet successfully educates people about colorectal cancer and increased intention to participate in screening programmes.

The effect on compliance of a health education leaflet in colorectal cancer screening in general practice in central England.

OBJECTIVE: To raise compliance in a general practice based colorectal cancer screening programme by the use of a simple health educational leaflet. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial of the leaflet's...

An investigation into sugar-containing and sugar-free over-the-counter medicines stocked and recommended by pharmacists in the north western region of England.

Sugar-containing paediatric medicines can contribute to the aetiology of dental caries, and as many are sold over-the-counter (OTC) as are prescribed. This study evaluated a dental health education initiative among pharmacists in the north-west of England in an effort to increase the sales of sugar-free preparations. It also investigated the stocks they held, their recommendations to their customers and their knowledge of, and attitudes to, sugar in medicine as a cause of dental caries. Following a baseline questionnaire, a randomly selected group of pharmacists were sent a dental health education leaflet informing them of the role of sugar-containing medicines in the aetiology of dental caries and a list of sugar-free alternatives which they were asked to stock and recommend. Twelve months later, a second questionnaire was completed by both the test and control groups of pharmacists. The most commonly stocked and recommended OTC paediatric medicines contained sugar. Of the 14 preparations stocked by over 90% of the pharmacists only two were sugar-free. During the year of the study the mean number of sugar-free medicines stocked by the pharmacists in the test group reduced from 7.70 to 7.12 (P < 0.05) and in the control group from 8.39 to 7.45 (P < 0.05). Seventy-seven per cent of the pharmacists thought that sugar in medicines could contribute to caries, but recommended sugar-containing preparations more frequently than sugar-free alternatives. The dental profession needs to actively promote medicines that are sugar-free if there is to be a change from the use of iatrogenic sugar-containing preparations.

Consumer satisfaction with breast screening: a pilot study

One hundred and forty-six women registered with a general practice and 84 members of health authority staff, who had attended a breast screening unit by invitation, completed a postal questionnaire about their reactions to screening. The staff of the unit also recorded their observations. The letter of invitation and accompanying health education leaflet were favourably received, and most women were glad of the opportunity offered, although some experienced anxiety. Few practical problems were reported with regard to attending the clinic. In general, the facilities in the clinic were thought to be of a high standard but specific criticisms included problems with access and privacy and feelings of claustrophobia. Some women experienced anxiety or discomfort when the mammogram was being taken, but many favourable comments were made about the helpfulness of staff. Almost all women said that they would return for screening if invited again.