GENERAL HEALTH INFORMATION: Suggestions for Refining the Message in Primary Practice

Aim: To identify the level of sophistication of health information in a health aware group of young adults. Discrepancies between the information level of data collected and that available in the scientific literature is construed as a health information need. It is surmised that such information may provide chiropractic practitioners with a preliminary guideline for more efficiently conveying general health information in clinical practice. Design: A survey was undertaken to describe the level of general health knowledge in a group of health aware young adults. A convenience sample of 60 chiropractic and osteopathy students who have completed half of their professional training was selected. Data was collected by means of a closed-question questionnaire. Results: Participants were found to have a good general knowledge of health risks but demonstrated a potential learning need with respect to the extent of health hazard associated with particular risk factors and the dose-response or threshold level of risk factor exposure. The desirability of targeting health information at crucial stages of the lifecycle is discussed as is the potential impact on behaviour change of a discrepancy between factual knowledge and belief. Conclusions: Primary practitioners may most efficiently convey health information in their practice when they focus their message on the health information needs of their patients. The possibility that the patient lacks a comprehensive overview of the outcome of a hazardous behaviour should be investigated as should patient awareness of threshold exposure limits and periods of crucial psychophysiological susceptibility to behavioural choices.