Public perceptions of health care problems. An analysis from Arizona

Public perception of 17 health problems was assessed by telephone and in-person interviews in Arizona. Drug abuse (64.7%), the costs of health care (62.8%), and drunk driving (60.6%) were considered the most serious health care problems. Elderly and rural residents tended to view drug abuse, drunk driving, teenage pregnancy, and economic aspects of health care as less serious than did the younger and urban respondents, while the poor thought these problems were more serious. Respondents in this survey were less concerned with the lack of specific clinical services for high-risk groups--the old and frail, pregnant women, people with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, suicidal teenagers, and abused children.