Important Source Of Health Information Research Articles

Risk factors and epidemiology of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the principal cause of death from cancer among women worldwide. Risk factors for breast cancer are manifold. Certain risk factors, such as age and family history are well established. Research in the past decade has further elucidated disease aetiology, in particular the role of hormones and the discovery of breast cancer susceptibility genes (e.g. BRCA1, BRCA2). In spite of the evidence concerning the risks of breast cancer, women often have a poor understanding of its causes and limited personal risk perception. The media are an important source of health information for many women, but the popular and general-interest media often misrepresent risk factors. Knowledge of breast cancer risk factors and perception of personal risk are significant behaviour motivators to prevent, detect and manage disease. This article will review the risk factors for breast cancer, and examine the research on women’s perception of risk and understanding of risk factors, and the reporting of breast cancer in the media.

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs

The pharmaceutical industry spent over $US4 billion advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers in the US in 2004. The use of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has been a source of great controversy. Supporters of DTCA argue that it provides an important source of health information for consumers, increases the treatment of under diagnosed conditions and improves medication adherence. Critics argue that it misleads consumers, leads to overuse of medications, drives up prescription drug prices and costs, and harms the doctor-patient relationship. The impact of DTCA on public health should be viewed within the context of broader problems with underuse, overuse and inappropriate use of prescription drugs. A number of economic and marketing studies have examined the impact of DTCA on demand for prescription drugs. These studies suggest that DTCA expands total market sales but does not have any appreciable effect on market share within the class. In other words, DTCA increases the likelihood of an individual receiving drug treatment but does not have a significant impact on which drug is selected. Much less is known about whether this expanded use addresses the problems with underuse of prescription drugs, or exacerbates problems with inappropriate use or overuse of prescription drugs. The few studies that have been conducted on these issues suggest that DTCA probably leads to some appropriate use as well as some inappropriate use and overuse of medications. Formal cost-benefit analyses need to be conducted to determine the net effects of DTCA on public health and to inform policy makers charged with protecting the public interest.

Información de salud en la prensa diaria argentina: adaptación al español y validación del cuestionario index of Scientific Quality para medir su calidad.

The daily press is an important source of health information and may influence health care utilization. However, medical reports published in newspapers from developed countries have shown a poor quality. The reliability of the questionnaire Index of Scientific Quality was evaluated by using it to measure the scientific quality of health information published by Argentinian newspapers between 2000 and 2002. It assessed the readability of the texts in grade levels and explored the relationship between quality and other factors. The Spanish adaptation of the instrument consisted in translation, back-traslation and pilot study. The reliability was assessed by applying the instrument to newspaper articles with more than 300 words that discussed therapy, diagnosis, prevention, lifestyle effects, and hazardous exposure. Two physicians independently graded 129 articles. Inter-observer and intra-observer concordance was quantified for each item with the intra-class correlation coefficient (CI95%). To measure scientific quality, a randomized sample of 210 articles was assessed. Each received a mark that ranged from 0 to 100. Readability was determined by the FRY graph method. The relationship between quality and other variables was explored with multiple linear regression analysis. The inter-rater concordance varied between 0.48 (0.34-0.61) and 0.67 (0.56-0.75). Intra-rater concordance varied from 0.51 (0.37-0.63) to 0.95 (0.93-0.96). The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.88. The quality-of-health-information was rated at 25 points (16.7, 33.3) [median (intercuartil range)]. The reading level was assessed to be at the 10.4 grade (10.2-10.6) [mean (CI 95%)]. Quality of the health information was greatly deficient; however, no specific factors were related with quality. Readability was probably a key barrier for access to the health information.

Searching for cancer-related information online: Unintended retrieval of complementary and alternative medicine information

The Web is an important source of health information for consumers. Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is also increasing. Therefore, we studied the likelihood that consumers will incidentally encounter CAM information while searching the Web and the factors that influence retrieval of CAM information. We evaluated results retrieved by 10 cancer-related searches on six common search engines. Of 1121 search results, 16.2% displayed CAM information. Sponsored (i.e., paid) results were more likely to display CAM information than non-sponsored results (38% versus 7.5%, p < 0.001). In Overture and Google, sponsored results accounted for 51% and 39% of results on the first page. These search engines also retrieved more CAM web pages. Search engines distinguished sponsored and non-sponsored results, but disclosure statements describing the differences were confusing. Cancer type used as the search keyword did not influence the number of CAM web pages retrieved. However, synonyms of cancer differed in their retrieval of CAM web pages (p < 0.001). Consistent with prior studies of Web search engine overlap, we found that 28% of CAM results were retrieved by two or more search engines. Clinicians should help consumers recognize sponsored results and encourage search engines to clearly explain sponsored results.

Use of Computers and the Internet in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

ABSTRACT The Internet is an important source of up-to-date information for health clinical students in many countries. Several studies have explored use of the computer and the Internet by medical and dental students but few have investigated the extent to which these students used the Internet for academic purposes. The objectives of this study were to assess students' use of the Internet, identify the type of health information students sought from the Internet, and examine the influence of gender on Internet usage. One hundred and seventy-three students of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Nigeria, completed a self-administered questionnaire between February and March 2004. Clinical students constituted the majority of the sample. Only a handful of the students had a personal computer but 87% claimed to be computer literate. Virtually all the students had used the Internet but only about a quarter had ever searched any database for health information. Despite the availability of the Internet as an important source of health information, only a small portion had fully utilized the resource.

Coverage of Breast Cancer in the Australian Print Media – Does Advertising and Editorial Coverage Reflect Correct Social Marketing Messages?

Early detection of breast cancer by mammographic screening has the potential to dramatically reduce mortality rates, but many women do not comply with screening recommendations. The media are an important source of health information for many women – through both direct social marketing advertisements and indirect dissemination of information via editorial content. This study investigated the accuracy of breast cancer detection messages in the top-selling Australian women's magazines and three weekend newspapers in the six-month period from December 2000 to May 2001 that included any reference to breast cancer and found that current coverage of breast cancer in the Australian print media conveys messages that are unlikely to encourage appropriate screening.

Reporting on post-menopausal hormone therapy: An analysis of gynaecologists' Web pages

The present study was designed to analyse Web pages of German gynaecologists with regard to postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT). There is a growing body of evidence, that the overall health risks of HT exceed the benefits. Making one's own informed choice has become a central concern for menopausal women. The Internet is an important source of health information, but the quality is often dubious. The study focused on the analysis of basic criteria such as last modification date and quality of the HT information content. The results of the Women's Health Initiative Study (WHI) were used as a benchmark. We searched for relevant Web pages by entering a combination of key words (9 x 13 = 117) into the search engine www.google.de. Each Web page was analysed using a standardized questionnaire. The basic criteria and the quality of content on each Web page were separately categorized by two evaluators. Disagreements were resolved by discussion. Of the 97 websites identified, basic criteria were not met by the majority. For example, the modification date was displayed by only 23 (23.7%) Web pages. The quality of content of most Web pages regarding HT was inaccurate and incomplete. Whilst only nine (9.3%) took up a balanced position, 66 (68%) recommended HT without any restrictions. In 22 cases the recommendation was indistinct and none of the sites refused HT. With regard to basic criteria, there was no difference between HT-recommending Web pages and sites with balanced position. Evidence-based information resulting from the WHI trial was insufficiently represented on gynaecologists' Web pages. Because of the growing number of consumers looking online for health information, the danger of obtaining harmful information has to be minimized. Web pages of gynaecologists do not appear to be recommendable for women because they do not provide recent evidence-based findings about HT.

Do otolaryngology out-patients use the internet prior to attending their appointment?

The Internet has become a very important source of health information. We wanted to determine otolaryngology patients' access to, and use of, the Internet as a medical information resource, to identify factors that make patients more likely to use it, and to determine how useful they find this information. A questionnaire survey was completed by patients while waiting for their consultation in the out-patient department of the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in London. Five hundred and thirty-five questionnaires were completed. Sixty-four per cent (344/535) reported having access to the Web. Of the 344 with access, 62 (18 per cent) had searched the Web for medical information prior to their consultation. Higher education (p <0.001) and age between 18 and 40 years (p = 0.001) correlated significantly with higher Internet use. Ninety-five per cent planned to use the Internet again. Approximately one out of five otolaryngology out-patients with Internet access reported having obtained medical information from the Web before their consultation. The majority found it helpful to some degree and were planning to use it again. As clinicians we should be aware of this use and the onus should be on ourselves to review these sites in order to guide our patients to sources of reliable and helpful medical information on the Internet.

Using the Internet to Teach Consumers about Quality Care

The Internet is an important source of health information for consumers. Patients can learn about their diagnoses, review treatments and medications, and locate other health information for themselves and their families. Information about quality care can also be found on the Internet. Few consumers, though, use these Web sites for learning about quality care. In 2000 the investigators searched the Internet and generated a list of approximately 90 relevant Internet documents under the broad heading of quality health care. They then pared the list to 34, by using the Health Information Technology Institute (HITI) criteria. In the second phase of the project, 5 of the 34 Internet documents were tested by a convenience sample of 32 consumers. Most of the participants had experience in using the Internet, although generally not in the area of quality care. They found the Web sites easy to use and indicated that the Internet resources would help them assess the quality of care they receive from physicians, nurses, and others. Web sites need to be evaluated to ensure that the information they provide is accurate and current, among other criteria. All patients should understand their health benefits and the importance of making informed decisions about their health care, as well as how quality care is measured, how to use quality reports, how to choose providers and hospitals, how to assess the quality of their own care and be more involved in it, and what they should do when faced with new diagnoses.

Verifiable Health Information on the Internet

The Internet has become an important source of health information. However, several empirical studies indicate that there is a significant amount of inaccurate health information on the Internet. Thus, it is important that Internet users be able to distinguish the accurate information from the inaccurate information. Information professionals have developed checklists for evaluating the quality of health information to assist Internet users in this regard. Such checklists can only be effective if the proposed indicators of accuracy really do indicate accuracy. This article reports on two empirical studies that implement an effective technique for identifying such indicators of accuracy. In particular, one of these studies indicates that the HONcode logo is more likely to be displayed on web sites that contain accurate health information. Many commonly proposed indicators of accuracy (e.g., the author having medical credentials, currency, lack of advertising) were not found to be correlated with accuracy.

Telling stories

Women's magazines provide an important source of health information for their readers. This information is published across a variety of texts including personal narratives of illness and disease (pathographies). This study examines a recent set of such stories specifically related to breast cancer and finds that these have particular tabloid characteristics. It compares narratives of various celebrities with those of ordinary women, finding that the latter are more sensationalised. Both types of pathographies over-emphasise certain risk factors, but nevertheless provide a mechanism for women to share the experience of serious illness.

Adolescents' access to care: teenagers' self-reported use of services and perceived access to confidential care.

Most surveys on adolescents' use of health services rely on parental report, and this may underestimate adolescents' use of confidential services. To investigate adolescents' report of their own use of health services, access to care, and knowledge and use of confidential services. A random digit-dialed survey of 14- to 19-year-old adolescents was conducted in Monroe County, New York. We screened 11 800 numbers and identified 4449 households (40%) of which 393 families (8.8%) had eligible adolescents. Of these, 259 (66%) consented and completed an interviewer-administered survey. Almost all adolescents (92%) rated their health as excellent or good and 90% had visited a health care provider within the year. Most (88%) identified a source of primary care. As many as 27% of adolescents had used more than one source of care. Many youth identify school personnel as important resources for health and counseling needs. Only 8.4% of respondents have used services confidentially, but nearly half of all youth did not know where they could obtain confidential care if they needed to. Adolescents were least likely to know where to obtain mental health or substance abuse and reproductive services. While most youth have used primary care, a substantial minority have not. Many teenagers depend on multiple sources of care, and they rely on school personnel as important sources of health information. Many do not know where they could go to review confidential services or for other services that they may need. Managed care insurance and public health policies should recognize adolescents' access needs to meet them appropriately.

Lack of Colon Cancer Coverage in Seven Women's Magazines

ABSTRACT Women's magazines are an important source of health information. To evaluate the relevancy of articles in these publications to known disease risks, seven women's magazines were reviewed to assess their coverage of colon cancer, the third leading cause of cancer mortality in U.S. women. Specifically, the amount of coverage devoted to colon cancer as well as the presentation of issues in the prevention, risks, treatment, diagnosis and genetics of colon cancer were recorded. Twenty articles were published on colon cancer in these magazines during the years 1987–1995. Compared to five other cancers that also affect women, colon cancer was the focus of the fewest articles in the seven magazines analyzed.

Reporting notifiable diseases: methods for improvement, attitudes and community outcome

Notification is an important source of health information. However, it suffers from the serious limitation of under-reporting, especially in ‘third world’ countries. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of a special notification nurse and ward notification register on the rate of notification from a general medical unit, the knowledge and attitudes of intern medical officers regarding notification, and the community outcome of notification in a Sri Lankan setting. Overall, appointment of a special nurse improved notification rates from 9·7% to 62·1%, and the addition of a special ward notification register further improved the rate to 95·1% The results also indicated that, although a majority of intern medical officers were aware of notifiable diseases and the importance of notification, only a few of them always notified notifiable diseases. One of the main reasons given for this was that the majority of them felt that no useful action was taken on notifications by the preventive health authorities, a view that was held because there was no feedback information regarding the notifications. However, during the period of this study nearly 80% of all notifications were successfully investigated by the relevant medical officer of health office. The appointment of a nurse dedicated to notification and introduction of a ward notification register could greatly improve notification rates. Better communication between curative and preventive health sectors would improve attitudes of doctors regarding notification.

A content analysis of the health information provided in women's weekly magazines

Women's weekly magazines are read by approximately half of the women in Britain, and by several million men as well. Although these magazines represent an important source of health information for their readers, there is virtually no research which examines the content of the information provided. This paperprovides a descriptive analysis of the content of eight popular women's weekly magazines over a four‐week period.

Health messages on television commercials.

Television is an important source of health information in the United States, yet little research has focused on the presentation of general health issues on television. This preliminary study reports on the health-related content of television commercials found on a typical television day. We conducted a content analysis of a composite day of television comprising 20 hours randomly selected over a three week period (April-May 1989). Findings are presented regarding health messages found in commercial time--advertisements, public service announcements (PSAs), editorials, and promotions for upcoming programs. Overall, 31% of the 654 commercial spots contained health messages. Most health messages were claims of good nutrition in food and beverage advertisements. PSAs comprise 1.4% of the 20-hour sample and 5.8% of the commercial time. Health messages appeared in 38% of PSAs, accounting for less than seven minutes. Not one PSA addressed tobacco, alcohol, or diet--the three leading behavioral risk factors for poor health. PSAs are usually seen as a mechanism by which the public health community can alert the public to important health issues. Given the declining pool of PSA time, public health educators will need to seek alternative strategies for influencing television content, such as media advocacy. In addition, further research on audience interpretation and response to commercial messages is suggested.

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AND HEALTH PROMOTION: RESULTS FROM A COMMUNITY SURVEY IN SYDNEY'S WESTERN SUBURBS

A health survey of 484 persons aged 14 to 89 years was conducted in Sydney's western suburbs in May 1987. Its aims included a description of preventive activities undertaken by medical practitioners and an assessment of the community's perception of the doctor's role in health promotion. Ninety‐three per cent reported visiting a doctor in the previous year and 31 per cent of respondents reported having contact with a general practitioner the fortnight before the survey, either for their own health or that of another. Eighty per cent of respondents reported having had their blood pressure measured in the previous year and 63 per cent of female respondents aged 18 years and over who had not had a hysterectomy reported having had a Pap smear in the last five years. However, few respondents reported receiving any lifestyle‐related advice at their most recent doctor visit and 77 per cent said that the food they are was rarely or never discussed with their doctor. Despite this low level of advice, doctors and nurses were perceived to be the most important source of health information by nearly half the respondents. Strategies for increasing the involvement of doctors in health promotion are discussed.

Analysis of Coverage of Tobacco Hazards in Women's Magazines

c A ming-related diseases in the United States alone. These facts come as no surprise to professionals in the field of public health. But they may not be as well known to the general public. Magazines are an important source of health information for the layman. Yet, as R. C. Smith suggested in a 1978 article in the ColumbiaJournalism Review, coverage of this particular health topic, the hazards of smoking, is very limited in most magazines. The exceptions to this general rule have been a few magazines which do not accept cigarette advertising. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of women who smoke, especially young women who start smoking in their early adolescent years. This trend is reflected in current cancer statistics, which show an alarming increase in smoking-related cancers, particularly lung cancer, among women. In addition women have special cigaretterelated health hazards. Smokers have an earlier menopause than nonsmokers. Oral contraceptive users who smoke face special health risks. And, according to the 1979 Surgeon General's report, Smoking and Health, "the risk of spontaneous abortion, of fetal death, and of neonatal death increases directly with increasing levels of maternal smoking during pregnancy." Smokers also give birth to premature infants and low birth-weight infants more frequently than nonsmokers. The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has selected smoking and women's health as a primary focus of concern. The coverage of the hazards of smoking in twelve major women's magazines was re-