The objectives of this study were to find the status of health education of residents, and to analyze the status of knowledge, attitude, and practice about adult disease, especially about hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer and health care system etc, and to find the relation between the factors and knowledge status, attitude and practice. The survey was carried out for half month from July 1 to 15, 1997. The subjects were 283 persons in the rural areas that were chosen from one country, Muan Gun near Mokpo City. To interview the rural residents, 5 volunteer interviewers were recruited from university students whose major is nursing, and they were trained about the questionnaire. The percentage of the acceptance of health education are 1.1% - 9.2% of the subjects that the degree of the percentage of the health education was highest in diabetes mellitus, and the next were hypertension, cancer, joint disease, CVA. Therefore the need of the health education was very high. Of the subjects, 13.4% - 60.8% wanted to receive the health education about each disease. Highest proportion of the subjects indicated hypertension and joint disease. Of the subjects 42.1% - 6.7% knew each disease.
The degree of knowledge was highest in cancer, followed by T.B., D.M., and hypertension. Of the subjects, 58.5% practiced after receiving health education, and 47.3% were getting periodic health examination during the last one year. Of the subjects, 76.1%-94.4% did not practice preventive methods such as low-salt diet, periodic health examination and exercise etc.. The knowledge and attitude, and practice of the health were more active in male persons and in highly educated persons significantly than their counterparts. As the adult diseases now are more prevalent than before, more attention should be put on health education to prevent adult diseases in the dimension of developed practice method.
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