Use of research by the Australian health promotion workforce

This paper examines the attitudes and practices of Australian health promotion practitioners toward evidence-based practice (EBP). The study used a survey methodology and questionnaires were sent to 1114 members of the Australian Health Promotion Association. A response rate of 27% (n = 277) was ach...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education research 2007-08, Vol.22 (4), p.576-587
Main Authors: James, Erica L., Fraser, Caitlin, Anderson, Karen, Judd, Fiona
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Australia
Barriers
Bibliographic Databases
Evidence based medicine
Evidence Based Practice
Female
Health Occupations
Health Personnel - psychology
Health Promotion
Health Promotion - organization & administration
Health technology assessment
Humans
Information Dissemination
Labor Force
Mail Surveys
Male
Middle Aged
Organizational Culture
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Practitioners
Program Design
Public Health
Qualitative Research
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Summary:This paper examines the attitudes and practices of Australian health promotion practitioners toward evidence-based practice (EBP). The study used a survey methodology and questionnaires were sent to 1114 members of the Australian Health Promotion Association. A response rate of 27% (n = 277) was achieved. The data showed that the vast majority of participant's attitudes toward EBP was very welcoming. However, in practice the impact of EBP was limited. Participants identified a range of significant barriers to implementing EBP including organizational culture, policy directives and lack of resources. A range of concerns was also identified regarding the applicability of the medically based EBP model within health promotion, which is based upon a social model of health. The findings highlight the importance of acknowledging the complexity of health promotion interventions and working toward developing an appropriate evidence base.
ISSN:0268-1153
1465-3648
DOI:10.1093/her/cyl111