A Study on the Health Education Need Assessment of Rural Community

농촌지역사회의 보건교육 요구도에 관한 연구

At the opening of a new millennium and a new century, health promotion and education services in Korea are in the early developmental stage. The National Health Promotion Act legislated in 1995 was a milestone for initiating a national and local health promotion program in Korea. And since then local governments and health centers have been developing and providing health promotion program for the community populations. The short history of health promotion and education in Korea has meant that local governments and health centers have a limited experience and organizational capacity for health promotion and education planing and practice. This study was attempted to measure health education need of rural community and to analyze the factors for health education need assessment. Surveyors interviewed 1250 subjects randomly selected. Subjects were 2.17% of men and women in Changnyung county and older then 20 years old. Data were collected from April 17, 2000 through April 27, 2000. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics, health educational experiences, health educational method, health educational content and health educational needs for rural community residents. The questions on the health educational needs of content consist of 36 questions in 8 fields. The statistical methods used for the analysis were $X^2$-test, t-test, F-ratio and ANOVA using SPSS program. In conclusion, despite more needs to the respondents who are in the low education level and socioeconomic state, in the old age, in the low health knowledge, they required less health education. To enjoy a more healthy life after more community residents actively understand and are interested in health education and health promotion, we certainly require a designed and systemic health education. The resources of health department in Korea are limited and the investment involved in health promotion and health education is severely reduced. Particularly this situation is more severe in the rural community. To select and perform an effective health education methods that the nature and reality of the rural community are considered, well use the resources to invest in health promotion affairs as effectively as possible and then they will take the responsibility of healthy community.