Showing papers by "Shu-Chuen Li published in 2002"

Public awareness of diabetes mellitus in Singapore.

Abstract: Introduction Much effort has been devoted to educating the public about diabetes. However, the impact of such efforts has yet to be formally evaluated. Objectives To identify areas of knowledge that might require additional educational efforts. Methodology A cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the general public's knowledge of diabetes. The respondents were required to answer 45 questions from a pre-tested questionnaire divided into five main sections, namely, general knowledge, risk factors, symptoms and complications, treatment and management, monitoring and other miscellaneous questions. A point was awarded for each correct response and zero for wrong or unsure responses. The maximum total score was 41. The miscellaneous questions were not scored. Results A total of 1337 subjects were interviewed. The mean score obtained by the respondents was 66.1% of the maximum possible total score (i.e. 27.1 points out of 41). The "correct answer" percentages for the individual questions from each section ranges from 22 to 83% (General knowledge), 31 to 91% (Risk factors), 48 to 81% (Symptoms and complications), 35 to 87% (Treatment and management), and 58 to 93% (Monitoring of condition).With respect to the source of medical information, health care professionals did not feature prominently (20.7%). Conclusion The public as represented by the samples in this survey is generally well informed about diabetes except for a few areas. Analysis of these areas would have a significant implication for future public education programme. Health care professionals should be more proactive in disseminating health information about diabetes to the public.

A study of the effectiveness of AIDS health education interventions among the adolescent population of Singapore.

Abstract: Aim of study: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of existing AIDS health education interventions in Singapore amongst the adolescent population of Singapore. By identifying specific target groups that lack knowledge and information regarding HIV, it is hoped that suggestions may be provided towards increasing the effectiveness of these interventions. Method: A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire of randomly selected adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 years was performed to assess their knowledge of HIV and their opinions and awareness of HIV education in Singapore. Results: A total of 400 adolescents of various backgrounds were surveyed. In general, the subjects surveyed possessed reasonably good knowledge about HIVIAIDS, with an average score of 77.4% (SD =15.8%). However, the results also showed areas of knowledge deficiency and misconception prevalent among those surveyed. Subgroup analysis showed that adolescents from low-income families, relatively less academically successful schools and those of younger ages knew significantly less than other adolescents. In terms of the awareness of HIV/AIDS education and information, the percentage of the subjects who could recognise any of the three commonly issued pamphlets or poster or who knew of any telephone numbers to call to receive information on HIV and AIDS was low. Less than 40% of those surveyed felt that enough awareness was being created within the public regardingAIDS. Conclusion: It can be concluded that most adolescents surveyed felt that they are inadequately educated regarding HIV and AIDS. The results would suggest the need for focusing more efforts on certain target groups using the appropriate media in future educational intervention.