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Cancer information by telephone: a two-year evaluation
Health Education Monographs
|January 1, 1977
Summary
A cancer information phone system positively impacted health behaviors in 40% of callers. Another 20% reported other benefits like reduced anxiety, demonstrating the system's value for public cancer awareness.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Communication
- Cancer Education
Background:
- Cancer information systems play a crucial role in public health outreach.
- Accessible telephone-based systems can bridge information gaps for the general population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a telephone-accessible cancer information system on public behavior and knowledge.
- To identify caller characteristics, calling patterns, and information sources for this system.
Main Methods:
- A two-year evaluation using a systematic sample of callers interviewed post-contact.
- Comparison of cancer knowledge between callers and non-callers (with limitations noted).
- Collection of caller data at the time of initial contact.
Main Results:
- Approximately 40% of callers reported positive behavioral changes related to physical health.
- An additional 20% reported non-health-related positive actions or reduced anxiety.
- Callers demonstrated higher cancer knowledge than non-callers, though pre-call levels were not assessed.
Conclusions:
- The cancer information system demonstrates a significant positive impact on caller behavior and well-being.
- The system effectively disseminates cancer information and potentially influences health-related actions.
- Further research is needed to ascertain pre-call knowledge levels for a more definitive impact assessment.