Health perception by women who work in a medical environment.
A mail survey was sent to 1154 women working in a university hospital, to assess the perception of health and the uptake of prevention strategies in an optimal setting. A list of 13 diseases was submitted and the women were asked to list the five diseases they found to be the most important for a woman of their age. Breast cancer was ranked among the five most important diseases by 85% of the women and uterus cancer by 71.3%. Other diseases, which have a high occurrence and mortality, like myocardial infarction, colon- and lung cancer were only ranked by approximately 30% of them. A high uptake of medical follow-up was reported by the surveyed women; 89% of them had seen a general practitioner or a gynaecologist during the past 12 months. Among women aged 50 and over, 92% had had at least one mammography in the past. However, only 20% had ever had faecal occult blood testing. Even among women who benefit from superior conditions for medical follow-up, the awareness of some diseases is low. Campaigns to increase awareness should consider the prevalence of diseases, their mortality and morbidity and also their actual perception in the targeted population.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Free University of Brussels (ULB), Hospital St. Pierre, Rue Haute 322, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium. serge.rozenberg@skynet.be
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D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001530:Belgium; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health