title: Audience segmentation to promote lifestyle for cancer prevention in the Korean community.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to segment the audience group of '10 lifestyle for cancer prevention' based on demographic characteristics and the level of knowledge about each guideline for cancer prevention among the community in South Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were chosen through stratified random sampling according to the age and gender distribution of Gangwon province in South Korea. A telephone survey was conducted from 6 to 15 calls among 2,025 persons on October 2008. A total of 1,687 persons completed the survey (response rate: 83.3%). Survey items were composed of socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, income, education, and residence area and the knowledge level of '10 guidelines for cancer prevention', developed by 'Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare' and covering smoking cessation, appropriate drinking, condom use, and regular physical activity and so on. We selected the priority needed to promote awareness and segmented the audience group based on the demographic characteristics, homogeneous with respect to the knowledge level using Answer Tree 3.0 with CHAID as a data mining algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of analysis showed that each guideline of ' 10 lifestyle for cancer prevention' had its own segmented subgroup characterized by each demographic. Especially, residence area, city or county, and ages were the first split on the perceived level of knowledge and these findings suggested that segmentation of audiences for targeting is needed to deliver more effective education of patients and community people. In developing the strategy for effective education, the method of social marketing using the decision tree analysis could be a useful and appropriate tool.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study findings demonstrate the potential value of using more sophisticated strategies of designing and providing health information based on audience segmentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Kangwon, South Korea. choice@kangwon.ac.kr
authors.forename: Heui-Sug
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.forename: Su-Mi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D003710:Demography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D040241:Social Marketing