Zofia Słońska
Zdrowie Publiczne i Zarządzanie, Tom 16, Numer 1, 2018, s. 12-19
https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.18.002.8672Institutional determinants of cooperation between public health institutions and public television in the field of health education
The level of effectiveness of mass-media influence on population health is determined by a number of factors, some of which are barriers to effective communication, others support it. The aim of this article is an attempt to present elements of the process of cooperation between representatives of public health institutions and public television, at the stage of creating health information and its dissemination. The analysis of this process, based, inter alia, on the findings and observations made within sociology and public health, will be aimed at identifying barriers to effective media impact in the field of health education, as well as remedies that can minimize potential failures.
Zofia Słońska
Zdrowie Publiczne i Zarządzanie, Tom 10, Numer 3, 2012, s. 210-218
https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.13.022.1170Self- assessment of health information literacy by Polish population, in light of the self-efficacy concept. Analysis of the selected results of Polish part of Health Literacy Survey EU
Health information literacy allows people to find, evaluate and apply information regarding health and health services utilisation. The goal of this analysis is to present: the self-assessment of health information literacy done by Poles, socio-demographic determinants of this assessment, and to discuss its possible consequences in light of self-efficacy concept. This knowledge highlights certain aspect of society’s’ health literacy, and can be useful in designing pro-health educational interventions in such a way so they meet the needs and capabilities of target groups.
Method. Direct questionnaire survey with randomly selected, stratified by age and gender group of respondents (+15, n10000, what was 67% of the sample). The study design and the survey questionnaire were developed by the HLS-EU researchers. The survey was conducted by TNS Opinion in July and August 2011 in 8 European countries including Poland. Among 47 questions in HLS-EU questionnaire, 30 questions were selected as those that can serve as indicators of health information competency, 10 question for each of 3 areas of information skills: seeking, evaluation and application. In this study only data regarding Polish population was analysed.
Results. Approximately 38% of Polish population assess their health information literacy as low. Respondents claim that they have difficulty in finding, evaluating and applying health information. Low level of self-assessment can be observed more often among men, elderly and people with low level of education, and also among respondents who see their health status as bad or suffer from at least one chronic illness, and also among these who are in economically difficult situation. Among tasks connected with seeking information most difficult for the respondents were: finding information about political changes that may affect health, information regarding coping with stress or depression, information about vaccinations and health screenings and information on symptoms and treatments of illnesses that concern them. As most difficult to evaluate Polish respondents find the reliability of information about diseases and health risks provided by mass media. In area of application, most difficult to apply is information regarding activities that improve health and well-being in community.
Conclusions. Low assessment of self-efficacy in looking for and using health information by one third of Polish respondents may indicate real deficiency of skills, may demotivate them to undertake such activities, and may hinder educational interventions. Elderly, low educated, ill or assessing their health as bad persons should be in first place the aim of educational interventions to raise their information literacy. This can be beneficial for improving their health literacy.
Zofia Słońska
Zdrowie Publiczne i Zarządzanie, Tom 9, Numer 2, 2011, s. 64-75
https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.11.018.0555Social inequalities in health – the result of the medicalization of health promotion?
Differentiation of social positions leads to the differentiation of health status in the social structure. This relationship results in the phenomenon of social inequalities in health. Health promotion has been created to improve health status and reduce the social inequalities in populations through building resources for health and healthy lifestyles and ensuring their egalitarian distribution. Taking into account the tasks of health promotion we can premise that the implementation of it creates opportunities for the reduction in social inequalities in health, but on condition that health promotion is not being medicalized. In this article we attempt to substantiate the hypothesis speaking that there is the relationship between the medicalization of health promotion and the sustaining of social inequalities in health over time.