RHP&EO is the electronic journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education

Long-Term Attitude Changes To 'Professional Health Care Use After A Mass Media-Based Health Education Campaign

Vinjar Fonnebo Ph.D. and Anne Johanne Sogaard Ph.D.

Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromso, Norway

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term impact of the November 1992 mass media-based mental health campaign on attitudes to the use of professional health care providers.

Methods: On November 8, 1992, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), the only TV-channel coveting the total Norwegian population, collaborated with a mental health charity in a nationwide mental health education campaign. The campaign was extensively announced beforehand, and climaxed with a six hour TV-show on the fund-raising day. The impact of the campaign is measured by comparing interview data from a random sample of the adult Norwegian population before and after the campaign (June and December 1992, n= 1191 and an independant sample three years after the campaign (December 1995, n=1063)..

Results: Before the campaign 41% of the population would recommend friends with minor mental problems to seek help from a professional care provider (general practitioner, psychiatrist, psychologist or priest). This proportion increased to 52% one month after the campaign and was still 49% three years after the campaign. Willingness to go to a psychiatrist/psychologist for own problems had changed only marginally.

Conclusion: It is possible to implement a lasting impact on people's attitudes to the use of professional help in minor mental problems by a nationwide mass media campaign. The positive and negative effects of this increase in the use of professional health care services will be discussed.

Internet Explorer 5.0 or later version gives the optimal visual effect of this website.